How to curve a soccer ball

There are many more ways to kick a soccer ball then simply straight. If you are a beginner and looking for something to step up your game, then this is the right article. Here, i will teach you how to curve the ball. This type of kick when used for shooting, will effectively confuse the goalie, making the ball much harder to save. And when you get good, you can even use it to bend the ball past opposing players, towards the target you want to reach. This type of kick was made famous by David Beckham, but he is certainly not the only one with the ability.

If you see this curving technique in a game, it may look magical, if done well that is. But once you know the details of how to do it, you will realize that all you need is a bit of practice and the right technique. However, i can definitely not guarantee you will be able to do it as well as the stars! 

Now, your first step to learning how to kick a curveball is to know what it looks like, so take a look at this video:

Now, how do you curve a soccer ball.

1. Unlike a normal kick, you are not going to approach the ball straight in front. Instead, you are going to try and come up slightly from the side, not to far though.

2. When you have reached the ball, you are going to want to place your front foot a little further away then you would for a straight kick. When i say a little, i mean a little! That is about a few centimeters more than you normally would. This is so you can follow through with your kick, i'll get to that later on.

3. Now get back to the basics, the more you spin the ball, the more it will curve, right? Yes, you are correct, but that is not all, there is a little more to it. If you won't the ball to curve as much as it can, the you are going to need air time. That means you are going to need to hit the ball hard if you want to curve big, while also generating suitable sideways momentum, in order to create the spin. So how do you do both at once? Balance, and to get balance between the two, you are going to need practice, that is a very important thing to remember. Though it is not just about power, and the direction you are kicking the ball from. You will need to know where about on the ball you want to hit. This depends on what you want to do. If you want a high, loopy ball, that curves right over the goalkeepers head, then, just like a chip, you are going to need to hit the ball near the bottom. On the other hand, if you want a ball to curve down low, closer to the ground. Like you would to curve around a wall or a player, then you will need to kick it closer to the top, all the while, remembering to still kick it with the same amount of spin, and to approach on an angle.

4. As with many kicks or hits, a follow through is a very important part of the process. So, one you have touched the ball, don't just stop your leg in it's tracks. Let it go all the way round until it can't go no more!

Now that you know the technique, practice, practice, practice, and practice some more!