There’s been a ton of stuff written or talked about when it comes to punting in soccer. When you go to a goalkeeper trainer chances are they are going to want to alter your technique to be able to hit the ball a bit more on the side. They won’t want you kicking the ball a ton of feet up in the air like they might want you to do in American football or rugby. Why is that though? Well, for the most part the goal that a goalkeeper has when punting in soccer is far different than the goal that punters in American football have. In rugby they actually have both of the purposes.
What I want to cover in this article are the different options that you have as a goalkeeper when it comes to punting. I am a firm believer actually that you don’t need to be Ederson, and punt the ball into the other goal to be a good punting goalkeeper. Granted, a long leg is certainly a luxury to have. Knowing what you want to do when you go to punt the ball is much more important. An argument can be made though, that we’re not teaching kids how to read the field before just going out and punting the ball. That may be an even bigger problem that you have to deal with than just tweaking the technique that a goalkeeper is using to kick the ball.
Punting In Soccer – What Are You Looking To Achieve?
This seems like a simple enough question right? You want to get the ball to a teammate that is up field. How come then, for generations in the development leagues we keep seeing kids walk up to the edge of the box, and just punt the ball as far as they can? This changes over time, sure, and when you get to more competitive leagues you start seeing kids with a bit more sense of what they want to do. Still, there are some games when all you want is to get the ball as far away from you as possible, and you revert to kicking it as far as you can. That happens when you’ve lost hope in the game, and we want to make sure that we don’t ever get to that point. Even if you’re losing big.
When you’re going to put the ball out you want to have a clear target in mind. It doesn’t have to be a particular person. That’s another thing that goalkeepers tend to get wrong. You can make a pass directly to a teammate or you can put the ball in a spot where you feel that your teammate has the best chance of actually getting to the ball. This is something that you should try to practice. Even if you don’t go over it in the team practice per se, you should get into the habit of this in games.
There’s an argument to be made that putting the ball in a spot, and not directly to a player is a better idea. Your players are going to have their back turned, so if you give them a direct pass there may be little to nothing that they’ll be able to do with that pass.
Why Kicking The Ball With The Laces is Considered Proper Technique
Arching the body a bit to the side, and kicking the ball with the laces is pretty much the base technique for punting in soccer. It’s what most coaches are going to want to teach you. Why is this the preferred punting technique for soccer though? Ideally it’s going to be a technique that’s going to give you more control over the ball. Since, we’ve established that you don’t want to punt the ball aimlessly, but instead you want to turn this into an actual pass that’s why this is usually considered the best technique. The other reason why it’s considered the preferred technique is because the ball is going to come out at a lower attitude, and ideally you’ll be able to give just enough strength so that it gets to your teammate, and they can have an easier time controlling the ball.
It’s like a golf swing though. When you step into the driving range to take lessons the teacher is going to try their hardest to teach some fundamentals on how a generic swing should look like. As you progress you’ll find that you have to come up with a unique swing that works for you. The idea is that the more generic elements that you incorporate into the kicking mention the better you’ll be. Also, you want to be able to get used to the motion so that it can be something that you’ll be able to replicate. The only way to really get all of this down is to work on your kicking motion over and over again. It can get tiresome, and it can get boring, but repetition is the only way to go.
Are High Long Punts Ever A Good Idea?
The side kicking technique is ment to avoid the long high punts. In fact, it’s meant to avoid the worst way of punting in soccer which is a short high punt. In American Football, they love the long high punts. Why is that? In that game it allows the kicking team to get down field and tackle the player catching the punt. Ruby rules are rather similar in that sense. A long high punt gives your team a chance to settle into a defensive position. In soccer a high punt usually makes it harder on your own players. As the defender will have more time to get in position, and contest the pass. Another reason why you want punts to be low hard and to the point is to not allow this to happen.
There are cases though, when long high punts are useful in soccer. As a goalkeeper they allow you to impact the game more than you. For example, if the opposing team has been creating many opportunities, and not giving your team a chance to possess the ball for a while these types of punts can be perfect breathers for your time. A good high long punt may allow your team to move up the defensive, and mid field lines, and start defending further out into the opponent’s side of the field. Even if your stricker isn’t able to come down with the ball and create a scoring chance. You have to be able to read the game though, and pick your spots for these types of punts. If you feel that you need a breather, it can be the perfect time to bust one of these out.
Punting in Soccer – When You Should Not Be Punting The Ball At All
When you’re playing a team that is playing with their lines way far back, and they allow you to play the ball short and start building your attack from the back line you may want to take them up on the offer. As goalkeepers we sometimes forget that we can take the temperature of the game and tone it down when it needs to be done. If the other team knows that you’re just punting the ball aimlessly every time they may just step back and allow you to do that. It’s like you’re giving the ball back to them every time. If this is happening, switch things up, play the ball short, and allow your defense, and midfield players to bring the ball out from the back.
I realize that these tips may not be a great solution for everyone. We’ve all played with that defender that you don’t want with the ball in his feet. If that’s the case then maybe you can put the ball on the ground, and try to bait the other team to apply pressure to you further up the field. So then you can put in a deep ball to one of your guys making a run. Remember though, if you put the ball in the ground you can’t pick it back up and punt it. You’d need to play it with your feet directly from the ground. Don’t be afraid to get creative, and look for ways to allow your team to start clean possessions. You can also throw the ball out. Do what feels best for you.
Find What You Have More Control Over & Adapt Your Game to That
Not everyone is going to be able to hit bomb punts all over the field. At least not from the first moment that they step between the sticks. As a goalkeeper you have to know what your virtues are, and try to use those to your advantage. Direct your team to spots that you feel are beneficial to start out a clean possession. Coaches should really work more on this part of the game. It really dictates whether or not your team will be able to keep possession of the ball. Before getting too tactical lets just state the obvious. If you can’t punt the ball to the opponents box, then you may not want your strikers to play out that far when you have the ball in your hands.
If they are, then you may want to throw the ball out to an open teammate that is closer and then have them put in the long ball. Without a doubt having a strong leg is preferable. The reason that this is the case is because it’s going to open up more options. Even if you do have a strong leg it’s a good idea to mix things up. You don’t want to become too predictable about the way that you start possessions. Also you don’t want to keep trying to force something that is not working.
On a personal level I never had the strongest leg in the world, but I could do some decent punts. Still, I felt way more confident throwing the ball out. For me that was the best way to put the ball exactly where I wanted to put it. Again you want to work on all of the aspects of your game. If you’re going to trails or a showcase though, you may want to fall back on what you feel that you do best. That goes for your kicking technique, and how you chose to move the ball out in general.
Punting in Soccer – Drop Kicking, & Other Methods
The side drop kicks that some goalkeepers do are a very clean technique. Plus, when done properly you can control the ball a lot, and what you’re putting out there is usually a very controllable ball for your teammates. It can be an interesting side project to work on for goalkeepers. Again, it’s one of those elements that is cool to have in your bag of tricks. In trails and things like that this gimmick can help you stand out for sure. If it’s not something that comes naturally to you, and you have to spend too much time on it to master the technique you may just want to stick to the base punting in soccer technique.
I say this because at the end of the day it’s a gimmick that gives you good style points. It’s hard though, to justify spending excessive amounts of training hours on that type of technique. Try it out, and if you like it, and it feels like a natural flow for you by all means master it. If you try it out though, and it feels awkward, and you’re getting frustrated by it, just stick to the basics. It’s no big deal if you don’t use drop kicks at all.
Conclusion
There’s a reason why certain techniques are preferred in punting in soccer. As a goalkeeper the idea is that you want to find what works for you. Also, you don’t want to become too predictable. When that happens the other team can set up in the same way every time, and prevent your team from advancing. At the very least they should be able to find a way to make it difficult for you. Practice proper technique for punting, and if you want to take things one step further you can try out the drop kick options, and other methods that can be effective, and make you stand out from the crowd.
