Free Kick

Intermediateset-pieces

Angled run-up, measured steps, eyes on your spot on the ball.

Curl the ball around the wall and into the corner. Approach at an angle, plant wide, and wrap your foot around the ball.

Key points

•Approach at 45 degrees
•Plant foot wide of the ball
•Strike with the inside of the foot, across the ball
•Follow through across your body

Practice with Coach Diego

Camera setup tips

· Place the camera side-on to you, 2 to 3 metres away.
· Keep your whole body in frame, head to feet.
· Phone on a tripod or a laptop webcam both work.
· Perform the movement, pause, repeat. Your coach speaks every 15 seconds.

Theory & Technique

The curling free kick is football artistry. Your approach should be at roughly 45 degrees to the ball — this opens your hips for the wrap-around technique. Plant your standing foot about 20 cm to the side and slightly behind the ball, not next to it. The strike uses the inside of the foot (between the big toe and the instep), hitting across the ball from the outside to the inside. This imparts sidespin that bends the ball around the wall. Your follow-through should continue across your body — your kicking foot finishes on the opposite side. Keep your body slightly over the ball to avoid skying it.

Fun Fact

The 'impossible' free kick angle — directly in front of goal at 20 yards — is actually the hardest to score from. The most dangerous angle is about 25 degrees off-centre, because the curve has more time to bend away from the keeper.

Watch the real thing

Learn from real coaches first. Your live scoring compares you to the reference figure above; these videos are for learning, and stay with their creators on YouTube.