The Soccer Thread (Version 13) — Winter World Cup Edition

It is nothing like free throws. Nobody is defending a free throw.

How many penalty kicks have you taken in your life? Like in a competitive game, with refs, organized teams, etc?

 

Pressure of the moment can get to them. And missing one wide or high can be caused by the simplest of things - like your plant foot being an inch short of where it needs to be.

 

I just meant the mechanics of the PK. Of course there is pressure - but if you've practiced something enough where you just let muscle memory take over - you should be able to put the ball somewhere on goal (unless the field sucks). I'd compare it to a second serve in tennis, or even a place-kick in football - the mechanics of the movement should not vary. And of course its defended, my point was to at least make the goalie stop the ball - don't give them a freebie.

 

I’m pretty sure that folks other than me aren’t throwing the ball as hard as they can when they shoot free throws.

 

There is probably a difference of less than an inch in where your foot hits the ball and whether it is on goal or a foot wide or high.

 

The mechanics vary based on where you’re trying to put it and how fast you want the ball to get there. And given analytics these days, you can’t just pick a spot and always hit it there. Plus you try to disguise your shot by doing a different approach to the ball they’ve not seen in your previous attempts.

It’s much more difficult than kicking a FG or a second serve. You step one inch too short with your approach foot, your knee isn’t over the ball for the kick and you’re skyballing it.

So, yeah, the goal is to always put it on frame and force the GK to make a save. But it’s easier said than done.

 

Can you tell me why they have stopped calling feeding the ball in scrums? They should just give the ball to the scrum half.

 

I still don't see how tennis players can hit 100 mph second serves with spin and get it in the box 98% of the time.

 

No, and I played in the day when taking a ball against the head was something that could happen and it was a huge play. It took some crafty timing on the part of the hooker to get a boot on it, or just a powerful surge disrupting the feeding team’s scrum.

There was nothing like playing a team for the first time and sizing up your opposite man, and the entire front row, knowing that the first scrum was going to be important for setting the tone.

 

When I watched Six Nations this year I don't think I saw the opposition win a single scrum. Just toss right at your hooker's boot.

 

Where do they think they are, Neyland Stadium?

 

Quick context: This was the second round of the Leagues Cup knockout round. The opponent was Club America, one of the biggest clubs in Liga MX. Tournament rules send it to penalties after 90 minutes tied. Anyhow, in the shootout, Club America thought they'd won only for the winning save to be overturned well after the fact by VAR (for the goalie leaving his line early), then lost.