How to score in a penalty shoot out - beat the psychology
You have spent your entire life training for this moment.
When you were a little boy, awake at night, staring at the ceiling, you imagined this moment a thousand times.
Now, it is actually happening.
In a stadium full of screaming fanatics, some for you, some totally against, you can now become a national hero… or the nation’s whipping boy.
It’s the final. You fought gallantly for 120 minutes. To exhaustion.
But now it’s the dreaded penalties.
If you score this, you have won for your country.
Your name will be become saint-like for generations to come.
You’ve scored penalties in practise hundreds of times.
It’s so easy that on the training ground you’ve hit the back of the net 30 times on the trot.
Sometimes you did trick shots to make fun of the goalie.
Now the boot’s on the other foot (metaphorically speaking).
For the goalkeeper, now it’s a win-win. He can only be a hero whatever happens.
You can only think about not becoming the villain.
You place the ball gingerly on what you hope is the best spot within the spot.
You take a momentary glance at the ref. Wipe the sweat off your brow and take 5 steps backwards.
There are thousands of people baying for your blood or praying for your soul.
Why can’t you hear anything… except the pounding of your heart?
You start to run with all the strength you have left…….
It’s time to think like a freak!
WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO SCORE A PENALTY (STATISTICALLY)?
75% of penalty kicks at professional level are successful.
The ball moves at 80mph+, so the goalkeeper must decide and start moving before the ball is hit to have any chance of stopping it.
If the keeper gets it wrong, diving the wrong way, your odds of success rise to 90%.
If you are right-footed as most professional footballers are, kicking to the left is a stronger shot for you - more powerful and more accurate.
But that’s why goalkeepers jump to the penalty takers left 57% of the time.
Keepers jump to the penalty taker’s right 41% of the time.
The keeper stands still, dead centre only 2 times out of 100.
The data shows from all major international football competitions that if you shoot straight down the centre, you have 7% more chance of success than a kick to the corner.
WHY DON’T FOOTBALLERS SHOOT STRAIGHT DOWN THE MIDDLE FOR PENALTIES?
So why don’t you hammer it straight down the middle and become carved into your country’s positive history?
Answer: the absolute all-encompassing fear of eternal shame and damnation.
Shouldn’t you go with the statistics to try to win for your team? If yes, then shoot straight.
But hold on a second. If the keeper doesn’t move and your shot goes straight into his arms and it looks like he didn’t even have to try.
You. Look. Pathetic.
If you shoot for the corner and hit the post, or the keeper saves it, or even if you shoot wide (even though you are a professional footballer who gets paid millions) it still looks like you tried your hardest.
This is a totally selfish act to either win or save face.
The communal act would be to not think of the self and shoot straight to be forever.
THINK LIKE A FREAK - HOW TO THINK SMARTER
This is an adaptation of Chapter 1 of the excellent Think Like A Freak: How to think smarter about almost anything by Steven D Levitt and Stephen J Dubner.
I wish the absolute best of luck to every player who is lucky/unlucky enough to be taking a penalty in the Euro Championships right now.
