GiveMeFootball.com - The Professional Footballers' Association

Television has highlighted the skill of "bending the ball" to try and beat a wall of defenders and the goalkeeper.

David Beckham has perfected it, to such an extent that he has the confidence to try and score from free kicks at any angle and at distances up to 30 metres. French star Zinedine Zidane is another equally adept.

So how have they managed to achieve such expertise?

Simple, - practice, practice and practice until they get it right.

So listed blow are the basic principles and practices that can help any youngster wishing to emulate the Beckhams's and Zidane's of this of this world.

FIRST THE TECHNIQUE (for a right footed player):

Approach the ball from the left - experiment with the angle until you feel comfortable. Kicking Foot
a) Use the inside of the right foot.
b) The foot on contacting the ball comes across the ball from inside to outside, and makes contact with the right side of the ball.
c) It is almost like kicking across the base of the ball, and it enables the ball to swerve from right to left.
d) To lift the ball (say above a wall of defenders) contact must be made below the mid area of the ball. .

Non-Kicking Foot

To the left side of the ball, slightly behind the ball - the position depending on what sort of elevation is required. The nearer the ball, the more difficult it is to lift the ball.

Position of the Body

a) The head should remain steady - eyes looking down at the ball until after the contact is made.
b) Arms used for balance, the rest of the body slightly leaning backwards.

Practice 1

Organisation

1 goal (goalkeeper), supply of balls
Place the ball just outside the penalty area (as in A1)
X1 - a post (or if one is unavailable a player can be used)

To begin with A1 tries to bend the ball around X1 (who remains stationary if it is a player. * Hitting the target is important but not crucial to begin with.

A1 can then re-adjust his position to A2 (X1 moves to X2), then to A3 (X2 to X3) so as to vary the angle.

The Goalkeeper must try and save very ball that comes his way, making it a real incentive for A to score at all.

As well as angle, distance can also be altered depending on the success rate of A's efforts.

This practice in itself is often enough for young players who first have to master the technique. It is literally a case of practice, often a player on his own kicking (bending) the ball at whatever target he wishes.

For example 2 players could work on "bending" the ball, around any sort of post so that there is a continual practice for both of them.

They could manoeuvre their own positions to make more difficult or easier targets, and they could have a competition to see who could swerve the ball most effectively - totting up the successful attempts.

Practice 2 (In an area 30 metres square) 1 ball, 1 post

B1 swerves the ball round the post to A1, who After receiving moves to position A2.

B1 then moves to position B2, A2 now tries to swerve the ball round the post to B2.

As players improve at the skill, then a second post (a metre away) can be added to add to the difficulty.

But the practice can develop by introducing more defenders - and walls of 2, then 3 and finally 4 players although this will come later.