On Penalties

[stealthpapes]

Yeah, but what does he know?

By any standards, the crop of talent in Southampton's academy class of 2004 was something special. It contained players who would go on to light up the Premier League – the likes of Nathan Dyer, Theo Walcott and Gareth Bale. One morning in spring 2005, the club's then director of sport, Sir Clive Woodward, paid a visit to training to test their skills from the penalty spot.

That morning at the academy, he set up four cameras focusing on the space between the edge of the 18-yard box and the goalline. One camera was facing the goal, the other behind the goal, and there were two on either side. He hung down two ropes from the crossbar, around three feet inside each post, and asked each player to take 10 penalties. There was no goalkeeper to face, just the ropes hanging down, and the aim was to hit as many balls as they could between the rope and the post. These were good young players, remember, stars of the future, but their score? "It was not good," Woodward said.

The other coaches at Southampton wondered what on earth Woodward was trying to achieve with all the cameras, laptops and technology, but the players themselves soon found out. Two days later, they attended a video analysis session where a few players were shown taking their 10 penalties. Not one time was their run-up, foot position or body shape the same.

"Everything was different," Woodward remembered, "but to kick a stationary ball, you need to have the same routine, to do the same things over and over again."

When I met Woodward to discuss why England's football team regularly fail from the spot, he argued that it was down to football coaches who feel threatened by change. We also talked about Jonny Wilkinson, and the two things that Wilkinson focused on during his kick: the target, and his foot position. This all came down to technique, the result of hours and hours of purposeful practice, so that when the pressure kick came, his routine was unchanging.

Wilkinson honed his method by trying to kick the ball against a single post from various points along the tryline as far back as the corner flag. "It was amazing to watch him," said Woodward. "If he was on his game, he would get seven or eight out of 10, just kicking the ball at one post. Unbelievable."

So for Wilkinson it was all about keeping the same routine, and practising it. Woodward preached the same message, and was clearly frustrated when I told him that England's penalty practice sessions at the 2006 World Cup seemed to be based on a group of players standing with balls at their feet on the edge of the area, taking a kick whenever there was an opportunity. "Yes, it was 'my go, your go, let's all go,'" he said. "I would do it differently. At the end of every training session, I would make every player take a penalty, and incentivise them: 'You're not leaving till you've all scored.' Or choose five players and say the same to them.

"Not just that: I would get them to replicate the conditions. So wait five minutes after the end of training to take the penalties. Make them wait in the centre-circle and do the walk. Have a referee or a coach blow a whistle. The training sessions are the time you need to coach this stuff, so when it happens in the game, the players are rehearsed, prepared and know what to expect and what to do. The notion you can't practise is complete anathema to me."

Woodward's coaching philosophy is based on T-CUP, Thinking Correctly Under Pressure, and the idea that you can train smart for any eventuality fits the penalty model. "I wouldn't just practise one penalty: make them retake one sometimes, as that can happen in a real game too.

"And the nearer you get to big tournaments and big games, it's an absolute no-no, you don't change a thing. This is my big thing in sport: you must do everything that you normally do. It's not the time to bring in anything new.'

Does that mean England shouldn't practise penalties at a major tournament? "It means they should be doing it all year round. If you only start when you're at the tournament, you're making it a big thing. That's been a problem for us in the past. Yes, practise at a World Cup, but make sure you've been doing it all the time anyway."

The more Woodward talked, the more passionate he became; he jumped out of his chair to impersonate Alan Shearer eye- balling a referee before he blows his whistle. But he really got going when I brought up an issue that touched a nerve: should a coach take responsibility for a missed penalty?

"This whole thing is about coaches, not players," he said. "It was conservative [at Southampton] mainly because high-profile coaches say you can't coach penalties, because they don't understand how to. Coaching is all about how your players perform under pressure: there are so many things you should be coaching the players to do.

"I don't like the word 'psychology'. The coach is a psychologist: if you practise properly, you will be mentally strong. If you don't, you can have as many psychologists as you like, but if you're not used to doing it, you will fail."

Woodward knows that England aren't just unlucky when it comes to the shootout. "It's becoming a national stigma and we deserve it," he said. "We don't deserve to win because we are arrogant to think we can turn up with players who have never taken a penalty in their lives before to do it."

And the reason is because of the coaches and not the players? "There's a big body of football people who are terrified of it, who are saying: 'You can't coach this.' That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard! I think the FA should employ a specialist penalty-kicking coach. And listen: it wouldn't just make them better penalty-takers but better footballers. The whole team should be doing it. This is about striking a dead ball, but if you strike a dead ball well, you will be able to strike a moving ball better too. It's about improving players across the board.

"You just need to set up a programme, appoint the right specialist and say to him: 'Right, your job is to make sure we don't miss a penalty in the World Cup.' That's what we did with the rugby team – and we won the World Cup."

[Whatevs]

Good Article. Where's it from?

Totally agree with all of that and really do believe you should practice
as you want to perform but (and to quote Phil 'The Power' Taylor)
'you can't practice shitting yourself'

[tmesis]

I've felt the same for years.

Penalties are a skill, yet it's amazing how even at the top level you have people thinking it's just a case of whacking the ball and hoping the keeper goes the wrong way.

A well hit penalty will have enough power and accuracy to mean it'll probably still be a goal even if the keeper goes the right way.


Given the fact that it's highly likely that any team going deep into a tournament will have to face at least one penalty shoot-out, to not practice the technique of taking a good penalty is like a golfer going into a tournament and not learning how to putt.

[Maguire]

Agree with the general point about how penalties definitely aren't a lottery, but don't agree with Woodward's assertion that it's the same kind of replication as goal kicking in rugby.

You can't put all your penalties in the same place. There's a guy standing there who's allowed to use his hands to stop the ball and you can't control the variable of what he does. So practice, sure, but practice right.

[stealthpapes]

Good Article. Where's it from?

Totally agree with all of that and really do believe you should practice
as you want to perform but (and to quote Phil 'The Power' Taylor)
'you can't practice shitting yourself'

I think you can.




not sure that sounded right.

[Sanguine]

There's a guy standing there who's allowed to use his hands to stop the ball and you can't control the variable of what he does.

Of course - but hit in the right place, with the right amount of power, and he's only going to save 1 in 20, even if you tell him where you are going to put it. That's where replication comes in. How many of our countless missed penalties at major tournaments have been heading for the top or bottom corners?

Beckham is football's example of a Wilkinson. He spent hours and hours honing his free-kicks to the point that when he lined up 25 yards out, the odds were in his favour if the ball cleared the wall, irrespective of what the keeper did.

[Brum Royal]

I also think we're guilty of praising "bad" penalties. Too often you see penalties scored where the ball is about a third of the way between the centre of the goal and the post. In my opinion, these are bad penalties. Yes they go in, but if the keeper goes the right way (the variable that Mags mentions) then it becomes an easy save and is correctly criticised for being a bad penalty. A good penalty should be placed into a position where the keeper can't reach it, even if he does go the right way - ie in the corners or high.

The keeper variable is also somewhat fixed, as although his movement is more unpredictable, there is an arc created of the area he is able to reach from his dive from a (near) stationary position in the centre of the goal which is fixed (especially when you factor in other variables such as reaction times, keeper's agility, keeper's height/reach). Therefore if the ball is struck into a position within the goal outside of this arc, then it is a guaranteed goal. This is the main area where I do agree with Woodward in that penalties can be practiced in the same way as rugby.

[stealthpapes]

Agree on the praising 'bad penalties'.

IIRC, the most successful penalties are those hit high into the roof of the net, reasonably centrally.

[Maguire]

There's a guy standing there who's allowed to use his hands to stop the ball and you can't control the variable of what he does.

Of course - but hit in the right place, with the right amount of power, and he's only going to save 1 in 20, even if you tell him where you are going to put it

Nobody can stick it in the top corner with power every single time. He might only save 1 in 20 that go where you intend, but how many will devi8 six inches and hit the bar or post? How many will go wide?

Again, I definitely agree with the merits of practice and repetition but I don't think it's as mechanical as kicking a rugby penalty which is more of a repeatable task. You should be able to got o both sides of the goal, know which side the keeper favours, if the keeper goes early etc.

the odds were in his favour if the ball cleared the wall, irrespective of what the keeper did.

Disagree. I'd be haymazed if that were true.

[Big Foot]

See what you mean about a penalty that goes in without being RIIIIGHT in the corner, but what if that's unattainable because the taker has changed his body shape as part of his run up routine to send the goalkeeper the wrong way?



(Not that I should be one to give advice on penalties, given my track record)

[Hoop Blah]

There's a lot of sense in Woodwards approach, it's similar to Wilkinsons kicking or a golfer practicing their swing or putting stroke but, as Mags rightly says, neither of those have the added complication of someone who's possibly studied your technique trying to stop you from scoring.

Penalties become a battle or nerve and the mind. It's not just the technique to hit the postage stamp accurately, under pressure, 9 times out of 10, and hitting each penality with a different foot position as in the Southampton example isn't necessarily a bad thing. What they should do is, like a golfer would with different shape shots, practise the different technique to hit different penalties comfortably and under pressure and then throw in an element of disguise like a tennis player would. They can then be more confident under the extreme pressure of a shoot out and more likely to execute properly.

I do agree with the general message that it's something we should practise and coach and not just leave to chance. I've no idea if Germany do practise (I imagine they do) but their record, and that of Argentina as well as it happens, is so much better than ours (http://www.penaltyshootouts.co.uk/countries.html) that we must be doing something wrong!

Interstingly the Dutch and Italians aren't that much better than us either.

[stealthpapes]

It's not just the technique to hit the postage stamp accurately, under pressure, 9 times out of 10, and hitting each penality with a different foot position as in the Southampton example isn't necessarily a bad thing.

No, it's the very first point to start from.

That article suggests that clubs etc weren't even doing that.

[Whatevs]

Good Article. Where's it from?

Totally agree with all of that and really do believe you should practice
as you want to perform but (and to quote Phil 'The Power' Taylor)
'you can't practice shitting yourself'

I think you can.




not sure that sounded right.

How do you replicate the pressure of a world cup final penalty shootout in a rehearsal situation. The attention of a large part of the world on you. Knowing that you are going to be crucified when you get home (potentially shot if you're from Columbia). I can only think of two ways and both have downsides.

Agree that you can practice everything else to be as prepared as possible

Roberto Baggio misses crucial penalty https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voT5W9Doa-s

[Hoop Blah]

It's not just the technique to hit the postage stamp accurately, under pressure, 9 times out of 10, and hitting each penality with a different foot position as in the Southampton example isn't necessarily a bad thing.

No, it's the very first point to start from.

That article suggests that clubs etc weren't even doing that.

I'm not suggesting otherwise, but as ever there's probably a bit of spin and an agenda on his small 'study' of technique, and I largely agree with the point Woodward was trying to make.

As for recreating the pressure of a world cup final shoot out Whatevs it's obvious that you can't but you can't recreate the pressure of a 6 foot putt to win the Ryder Cup or The Open, or a penalty kick for the Rugby World Cup but it doesn't stop you perfecting your technique so that when the time comes you're more confident that you can trust it and repeat your shot under the pressure.

[Whatevs]

It's not just the technique to hit the postage stamp accurately, under pressure, 9 times out of 10, and hitting each penality with a different foot position as in the Southampton example isn't necessarily a bad thing.

No, it's the very first point to start from.

That article suggests that clubs etc weren't even doing that.

I'm not suggesting otherwise, but as ever there's probably a bit of spin and an agenda on his small 'study' of technique, and I largely agree with the point Woodward was trying to make.

As for recreating the pressure of a world cup final shoot out Whatevs it's obvious that you can't but you can't recreate the pressure of a 6 foot putt to win the Ryder Cup or The Open, or a penalty kick for the Rugby World Cup but it doesn't stop you perfecting your technique so that when the time comes you're more confident that you can trust it and repeat your shot under the pressure.

I'm pretty sure that's what i said

[Royalclapper]

I always think that there's a begrudging reluctance on the part of some players when they get to penalties. It's a great leveller, and often doesn't reflect the true talent of the player or quite often how the match has panned out.

That's why the dispassionate droids from Germany always seem to excel, it's just an extension of the emotion free systematic game. It just seems wrong to me that precision practice of penalties is part of the coaching, it's like the industrialisation of what is essentially a human mess of a game. Woodward has got a point of course, but you just know we'll suffer another shootout loss sometime soon.

[ZacNaloen]

I always think that there's a begrudging reluctance on the part of some players when they get to penalties. It's a great leveller, and often doesn't reflect the true talent of the player or quite often how the match has panned out.

That's why the dispassionate droids from Germany always seem to excel, it's just an extension of the emotion free systematic game. It just seems wrong to me that precision practice of penalties is part of the coaching, it's like the industrialisation of what is essentially a human mess of a game. Woodward has got a point of course, but you just know we'll suffer another shootout loss sometime soon.

[tmesis]

How do you replicate the pressure of a world cup final penalty shootout in a rehearsal situation.

How do you do it with any other aspect of the game?

sure, no amount of practice will guarantee a goal, but it's quite ridiculous to suggest that a player who's never taken a penalty in his life (such as David Batty) has a more or less equal chance of scoring and someone who'd practiced hitting kicks into the corners until he's good at it, just because there's pressure.

The other side of the coin, that gets mentioned less often, is that we seem to be very bad a saving kicks too. It's a pity they couldn't have got someone like Paul Cooper to give the England keepers some coaching. He was great at saving penalties, and passed on his skills (in penalty saving anyway) to a certain Gary Westwood, so there's more to it than just luck.

[Ian Royal]

There's a guy standing there who's allowed to use his hands to stop the ball and you can't control the variable of what he does.

Of course - but hit in the right place, with the right amount of power, and he's only going to save 1 in 20, even if you tell him where you are going to put it

Nobody can stick it in the top corner with power every single time. He might only save 1 in 20 that go where you intend, but how many will devi8 six inches and hit the bar or post? How many will go wide?

Again, I definitely agree with the merits of practice and repetition but I don't think it's as mechanical as kicking a rugby penalty which is more of a repeatable task. You should be able to got o both sides of the goal, know which side the keeper favours, if the keeper goes early etc.

the odds were in his favour if the ball cleared the wall, irrespective of what the keeper did.

Disagree. I'd be haymazed if that were true.

Did you miss the point about Wilkinson being able to hit a post 8 times out of 10? Practice enough and you'll be able to hit the near unsaveable spot with good regularity.

[Whatevs]

How do you replicate the pressure of a world cup final penalty shootout in a rehearsal situation.

How do you do it with any other aspect of the game?

sure, no amount of practice will guarantee a goal, but it's quite ridiculous to suggest that a player who's never taken a penalty in his life (such as David Batty) has a more or less equal chance of scoring and someone who'd practiced hitting kicks into the corners until he's good at it, just because there's pressure.

The other side of the coin, that gets mentioned less often, is that we seem to be very bad a saving kicks too. It's a pity they couldn't have got someone like Paul Cooper to give the England keepers some coaching. He was great at saving penalties, and passed on his skills (in penalty saving anyway) to a certain Gary Westwood, so there's more to it than just luck.

Again....

I'm pretty sure i said or agreed with the point of practicing how you mean to perform.

Penalties shootouts are more high pressure and totally binary. You either score or you don't (potentially costing your nation the world cup). I'm just unaware how you can replicate such pressure. Make it a million pound a penalty bet in training, track the amount of penalties scored in training and make it known that this will effect your chance of selection....dunno