Before we get ahead and start taking free kicks in soccer, please visit my page on shooting because this is vital to being able to take a good free kick.

If you want to take a free kick simply by powering a shot, for example, then the shooting page is all you need. Here I’m going to tell you how to curl the ball round the wall from a direct free kick. And I’m also going to describe indirect free kicks.

Direct Free Kicks

Bend the ball round the wall;

1) The wall will be covering one side of the goal and the goalie will be covering the other. Look to place the ball the other side to the goalie. You therefore need to bend it round/over the wall.

2) Approach the ball at a sharp angle

3) Cut across the ball with your instep

4) Lean back slightly so your shot rises over the wall

5) Follow your foot through- your foot has cut across the ball and should naturally make it curve

If the free kick is to the right of the goal then a right footed player should probablt take it, but equally a left footed player should take it from the left side of the goal.

Once you’ve got the ball over the wall, the difficult part is to get it to dip down again in time to go in the goal. This depends on how powerfully you have struck the ball and how much height you have gotten on it.

This takes ages to get the hang of and no one gets it right all the time- not even David Beckham!

Indirect Free Kicks

An indirect free kick in soccer means that you can’t score directly from it. So you’ll have to pass to someone else.

If this is not close to the opposition goal, then simply pass it to one of your team mates. If you are just outside the opposition penalty area, however, you can arrange to tap it to a team mate who can then run on and shoot before the wall has time to charge them down.

So you’ve learnt about taking free kicks in soccer, why not brush up on your passing?