Striking the ball properly

jdefoe · Post by **jdefoe** » 22 Nov 2005, 19:07

This image, courtesy of BruceBrownlee soccer, describes where you were supposed to strike the ball, and what part of the foot you were supposed to strike the ball with so your shot will be powerful and never go over the bar.

Remember, when doing the instep drive:

1. plant foot about a ball's width away from the ball
2. lock ankle
3. quick knee snap
4. strike ball with laces
5. follow through

for more info on shooting try this : http://www.expertfootball.com/forum/vie ... php?t=2948

kloft · Post by **kloft** » 10 Jan 2006, 17:02

but when i shoot with my instep, why does it hurt? i always wonder if i'm shooting it correctly...

Just making sure

is the instep yeah?

Sputnik · Post by **Sputnik** » 10 Jan 2006, 19:57

best definition i could find

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=instep

ill leave why it hurts for other people.

cfrealmadrid · Post by **cfrealmadrid** » 11 Jan 2006, 01:16

why it hurts (my explanation):

you've got nerves and veins in your feet, on the instep particulary, that are many times tender from lack of use (in shooting that is). if you practice more shooting, they should toughen up. if that doesn't work, then there's something wrong with your technique or your foot.

apprentice · Post by **apprentice** » 03 Feb 2006, 02:52

i can only do instep kicks on volleys...when i try to do it on the ground, my toes jam into the ground and its very painful lol

how would you recommend kicking the ball with your instep without jamming your toes into the ground?

should i be kicking the ball with my leg oriented angularly instead of vertically?

i used to be able to do the instep kick with my toes not jamming into the ground, but then my feet grew so now it doesnt work

i dont consider my feet to be abnormally large (US size 9.5), so there must be something im doing wrong

maybe curl the toes?

thanks

karlofootball10 · Post by **karlofootball10** » 03 Feb 2006, 03:07

if you curl your toes, your shoe is still going to hit the ground. practice the motion in your room a bit, to the point where your toe doesnt touch the ground, or just barely skims it. with practice you will be able to perfect it.

Post by **expert** » 03 Feb 2006, 03:22

apprentice wrote:how would you recommend kicking the ball with your instep without jamming your toes into the ground?

Slightly lean away from the ball (sideways)
Observe other players using the instep kick.

scene · Post by **scene** » 04 Mar 2006, 06:42

would you happen to know how to shoot it with the same equal power but with a sight rise, not to much to go over but just enough to go over 4ft?

nutmegpd · Post by **nutmegpd** » 12 Apr 2006, 00:01

What do you do if you have big feet though, I kick from the side of my foot, although I get the accuracy and spin (owing to large area of contact), I just can't generate the power to kick the ball over 35-40 yards. NE tips?????

cfrealmadrid · Post by **cfrealmadrid** » 12 Apr 2006, 00:35

to hit a 40 yard ball, you obviously need power. lean back when you hit it, that should give you height. also, when you striker the ball, do a little hop type thing, and land on your shooting/passing foot. put your whole body into the shot, just lean into it. that's the best tips i can really think of now, so try them out.

J · Post by J » 12 Apr 2006, 01:07

cfrealmadrid wrote:to hit a 40 yard ball, you obviously need power. lean back when you hit it, that should give you height. also, when you striker the ball, do a little hop type thing, and land on your shooting/passing foot. put your whole body into the shot, just lean into it. that's the best tips i can really think of now, so try them out.

There is great tips in there, but I wouldn't lean back too much because then you're just going to sky the ball over everytime. Everything else you said there was right on though.

SeniorSenior · Post by **SeniorSenior** » 17 Apr 2006, 11:34

Okay, this too has been bothering me for ages. I got into a fight with a thief and bruised my instep. I'd been searching for 1st metatarsal injuries and such like then I thought of searching for 'bruised instep'.

So far, all I can find out is that rest will help if you have injured the kicking part of your foot.

OR

Mustafa Hadji, when he played for Coventry, used a slice of beef steak to protect the area. He was shown this by a physio at the 1998 World Cup.

There might be cheaper and cleaner methods of cushioning the area but that seems to be the only way to go about it. Maybe pain relief gel but if you continue to use the area without protection, it will never get better.

The blood supply to the skin of your feet is poor compared to the rest of your body, so healing will be very slow. For the first week after you injure you instep, use ice and compresion. Use ice after every game with a bruised instep. Then when the area has rested, soak it in warm water and keep it wrapped up to increase blood flow.

Try to do as much of this as possible if you have an injury, if not then you probably need to keep practicing until it doesn't hurt.

calisoccer · Post by **calisoccer** » 17 Apr 2006, 20:04

shouldnt SeniorSenior's post go in Injuries&Rehab?

fman · Post by **fman** » 03 Aug 2006, 16:56

I had a similar problem with my toes hitting the ground when I strike. One time I did a hard strike and all the tendons on my instep felt like they just ripped in half.

I had a big problem because I had a size 13 shoe and my foot is longer than the ball.

Basically, since then, I use the base of the big toe on the inside and base of the toes on the top of the foot for different kicking variations. You have to be careful not to unintentionally bend it however.

Anyway, that's how it worked for me

floater · Post by **floater** » 14 Aug 2006, 00:39

really helpful guide

Striking the ball properly

Striking the ball properly

Big Feet

RE: If it hurts

Instep problems