How to Kick a Soccer Ball
To kick a soccer ball, place your standing foot beside it and strike through its centre with the inside of your kicking foot for a controlled ground pass. For a driven shot, use the laces area with a firm ankle and a manageable swing; The Giro X sells Curl Master One for contact and spin control practice alongside coaching.
Choose where you want the ball to go, then select the contact and swing that suit that destination. Begin with a stationary ball and a generous target, then introduce movement when the starting direction becomes more consistent. Girls and boys can use the same basic exercises, with the task adapted to their experience and current coaching. The exercises below give each practice session a clear contact cue and a ball path to observe.
How Do You Kick a Soccer Ball Step By Step?
Start with a stationary ground pass towards a clear target, using a short approach and a comfortable swing. Look towards the destination before moving, then bring your attention back to the ball for contact. Place your standing foot beside the ball and turn the inside of your kicking foot towards the intended passing line. Meet the middle of the ball, allowing the kicking leg to continue smoothly through contact.
The starting direction of a ground pass provides a useful observation before the next attempt. A ball that begins towards the target gives different information from one that immediately travels across it. Keep the destination and contact surface unchanged while repeating the exercise, so each attempt offers a useful comparison. Once the stationary pass feels familiar, introduce a gentle setup touch and rehearse the same contact with the ball rolling into position.
Which Part of Your Foot Should Contact the Ball?
Use the inside of the foot for a controlled passing exercise and the laces area for a driven shooting exercise. The broad inside surface gives beginners a clear contact area to rehearse. For the ground pass, turn the foot out from the hip so that its inside faces the intended direction. Keep the movement comfortable and assess both the starting line of the pass and its distance.
Laces shooting contact involves pointing the toes down enough to present the upper surface of the foot towards the ball. A firm ankle means maintaining that intended foot shape through contact and the swing. Rehearse this position slowly before adding pace. Outside foot contact can be explored separately for angled passes, with a gentle swing and a destination suited to that movement.
Where Should Your Standing Foot Go?
For an introductory ground pass, place the standing foot beside the ball with its toes directed towards the target. Leave enough room for the kicking foot to move freely past the supporting leg. The useful reference is a balanced position from which the intended contact feels accessible. Adjust the gap between boot and ball to suit your approach and kicking action.
The follow through continues the kicking movement after contact while the player maintains control of the finish. For a straight passing exercise, observe whether the swing travels towards the intended destination. A driven shot can involve a different approach and finish, so ask a coach to demonstrate the whole movement together. The soccer coaching guide explains how instruction can support practice, including choosing a clear technical cue to rehearse between sessions.
How Do You Kick a Soccer Ball With Power?
Develop power by increasing swing speed gradually while preserving recognisable laces contact and a balanced approach. Begin with a broad shooting target and a stationary ball, keeping the effort manageable enough to notice where the foot meets it. Add pace as the intended contact becomes consistent. When you need a clearer feel for the strike, return to the familiar swing and rebuild from that reference, adjusting a single part of the movement at a time.
A short approach adds movement to the stationary shooting exercise once the basic strike feels familiar. Use a comfortable final step that brings the standing foot beside the ball, then compare the starting direction across attempts. Keep the target unchanged while exploring the approach. Later, introduce a gently rolling ball and observe whether the setup touch leaves room for the intended shot. Assess the additional pace alongside the contact being rehearsed and the direction of the ball.
How Do You Keep the Ball Low, Lift It Or Make It Curve?
For a low passing exercise, direct the inside of the foot through the ball's centre with a mainly horizontal swing. Explore contact below the centre with an upward swing for lift, and sidespin for sideways curve; contact point and swing direction work together. Keep these as separate exercises so that the intended ball path is clear before the kick. When a ground pass rises unexpectedly, reduce the swing and compare the apparent contact with the technique demonstrated by your coach.
For a lofted pass, rehearse an upward movement through contact below the centre, towards a generous landing area. For a curved shot, explore contact that gives the ball sidespin, leaving room between its starting line and final destination. The guide to how to curve a soccer ball develops that contact in more detail. Practise the basic strike before adding the different starting positions and decisions involved in soccer free kicks.
How Should Girls and Boys Practise With Both Feet?
Give each foot a separate passing task towards the same broad target, using a swing suited to that foot's current control. A gap between markers provides a simple destination in a compact practice area. A suitable wall can also support passing practice where ball use is permitted and the surrounding space is clear. Notice whether the ball begins towards the target and whether the intended contact remains recognisable as the exercise continues.
For girls' and boys' soccer across Australia and New Zealand, adapt the available space and task to the player's experience. The same approach suits girls and boys in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia. Give the less familiar foot a generous target and build pace as control develops. Parents can ask the player to explain the destination and demonstrate the contact cue supplied by their coach. Connect that home practice with coaching and with movement around the kick during broader soccer training.
How Does Curl Master One Fit Alongside Coaching?
Curl Master One adds focused contact and spin control practice between coaching sessions by spinning a standard ball at controlled speeds. A coach can demonstrate the intended strike and review how it transfers into passing or shooting. Home practice then has a defined purpose: rehearse the agreed contact and describe what the strike feels like when discussing the exercise at the next coaching session.
Use Curl Master One alongside ball work on the pitch, where players practise choosing a target and striking a moving ball. Its controlled ball speeds provide a defined setting for rehearsing the contact demonstrated during coaching. Get Curl Master One to give contact and spin control a regular place in the practice programme, and agree with your coach which contact cue to carry into the next session.
Facts
- Football Victoria's 2024 MiniRoos guidelines specify a size 3 soccer ball for under 6s and under 7s. Source: Football Victoria, MiniRoos Guidelines, 2024 edition, page 3, checked 2026-11-09
- Football Victoria's 2024 MiniRoos guidelines specify a size 3 soccer ball for under 8s and under 9s. Source: Football Victoria, MiniRoos Guidelines, 2024 edition, page 3, checked 2026-11-09
- Football Victoria's 2024 MiniRoos guidelines specify a size 4 soccer ball for under 10s and under 11s. Source: Football Victoria, MiniRoos Guidelines, 2024 edition, page 3, checked 2026-11-09
- Football Victoria's 2024 MiniRoos guidelines specify goals measuring 2 metres wide and 1 metre high for under 6s and under 7s. Source: Football Victoria, MiniRoos Guidelines, 2024 edition, page 3, checked 2026-11-09
- Football Victoria's 2024 MiniRoos guidelines specify goals measuring 3 metres wide and 2 metres high for under 8s and under 9s. Source: Football Victoria, MiniRoos Guidelines, 2024 edition, page 3, checked 2026-11-09
- Football Victoria's 2024 MiniRoos guidelines specify goals measuring 5 metres wide and 2 metres high for under 10s and under 11s. Source: Football Victoria, MiniRoos Guidelines, 2024 edition, page 3, checked 2026-11-09
FAQs
How Do You Kick a Soccer Ball Correctly as a Beginner?
Begin with a stationary ball and a broad ground passing target. Place your standing foot beside the ball, turn the inside of your kicking foot towards the target and strike through the middle with a manageable swing.
Which Part of Your Foot Should You Use to Kick a Soccer Ball?
Use the inside of the foot for a controlled passing exercise and the laces area for a driven shooting exercise. Rehearse each contact separately before adding approach speed or a moving ball.
What Does Locking Your Ankle Mean in Soccer?
Locking your ankle means maintaining the intended foot shape through contact. For laces shooting, rehearse the position slowly and ask your coach to demonstrate how it fits into the complete kicking movement.
How Do You Kick a Soccer Ball With More Power?
Increase swing speed gradually while maintaining recognisable laces contact and a balanced approach. Keep the target unchanged so that additional pace can be assessed alongside the ball's starting direction.
How Can Curl Master One Support Kicking Practice?
Curl Master One spins a standard ball at controlled speeds for contact and spin control practice. Get one for focused practice between coaching sessions, using a contact cue agreed with your coach.
