Free kicks

sarahw93

hi, i play gaelic for my local gaa team. I take the free kicks and play full forward. I am going through a bad patch at the moment and cant seem to get my shooting right. I was wondering does anyone have any tips on taking free kicks? any help would be appreciated, Thanks

theteal

from the ground or out of hand?

sarahw93

out of hand

cournioni

Take a good look at the posts, make sure you know where they are, take your time and concentrate on getting a good connection with the ball.

Most of the time players concentrate on the power and also get distracted by needing to know where the posts are half way through their routine. The most important thing is the connection with the ball, after that use whatever technique you find is best for you. The only way to do that is practice!!

theteal

what i do when shooting in general (not just frees) is pick something behind the goal and hit it while obviously flying the ball between the posts - i find it easier to hit a defined target than just lob it between the posts (it's a weird mental block and i'm a dub)

for free kicks, i take them off the ground. i played a fairly high standard of soccer for most of my life so it just seems more natural and easier to hit them from the ground

sendit

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xz5x17aueck

DH2K9

ROUTINE ROUTINE ROUTINE

migemo

I would have thought it much easier off the ground(stationary) than out of the hands(moving target).

Cill Dara Abu

sendit wrote: »

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xz5x17aueck

Ermm great video...

InchicoreDude

A lot of the media were bemoaning the lack of good free takers from the ground nowadays. Donie Shine was asked about it in an interview last week. hits viwpoint was that everybody has the ability to take frees from the ground, its just very few players bother to practice it any more.

jpb1974

1-2 hours practice every week.

Niall M

Practice is the key, it sounds like a confidence issue with you at the moment. Practice starting from easy outwards, ie start on the 14 years line, then when you are comfortable there, head to the 21, go 30 when comfortable from there, and so on. then start on angles and so on.

It will come back, i have been there!

rebel girl 15

Aim for putting the ball over the black spot on the bar - then if you mi**** it you have space right and left to miss it in. Using a rugby one, Jonny Wilkinson used picture a clowns mouth behind the goal, quite a small one and aim to put the ball into it

Practise is a huge thing, but it has to be good practise - as what Niall said, start with a easy shots and progress outwards. Before you kick the ball, visualise it in your mind - the ball going straight between the posts. Find a routine that suits you and stick to it

Keep at it, with practise it will come back!

mrgaa1

personally I'd do the following:

(assuming right footed)

start at the 14 yd line in front of the goals and kick 5 in-a-row over.
Once done: move 10yds to the left and repeat the drill.
Once done move another 10yds to the left and repeat the drill

Repeat the above 3 times.

Repeat the above on the 21yd line.

then do it all again.

this should take about 45 minutes or so.


Once you feel comfortable - move out the field a bit more (maybe 30-35yds) and repeat.
As another poster has stated - routine, routine, routine.

Always make sure that you do the same run-up e.g.
put your left foot on the spot you have to kick the free from, take 4-5 steps back. Take a look at goals, ready, and step up to take the kick. Kick through the ball and watch it go over the bar

The mark of a great free-taker is disecting their routine, concentration, and form.