So how do I bend it like Beckham?

The movie 'Bend it like Beckham' has popularized this famous free kick technique to the point where even the most casual soccer fan knows what it is.

In truth, Beckham may be the most famous player to bend his free kicks, but he is certainly not the only one. Roberto Carlos of Brazil is known around the world for his free kick against France in 1997. He nailed a free kick that seemingly defied science. The 25-yard shot went around the right side of
a wall of French defenders and appeared headed wide of the net before the ball broke back toward the goal and past a baffled Fabien Barthez in net.

In truth, the skill is not limited to taking free kicks. Learning to curve the ball when you pass or shoot can be a valuable skill. It can help you place corner kicks where you want them or thread passes through or over the heads of defenders.

You can also bend the ball to the right or the left depending on if you use the inside or outside of your foot.

Start by practicing this skill without the ball in motion. Once you get better at this skill, have someone roll the ball towards or away from you to learn how to bend the ball during the run of play.

Here’s what you do for free kicks: (for right footed players)

Start your run at the ball from an angle from the left side of the ball.

To curve the ball from right to left use the inside of your foot, striking the bottom half of the right side of the ball. Use the ball of your foot just like you would on a normal shot. It's the strongest part of your foot.

If you want to curve the ball from left to right with your right foot, use the outside of your foot. Do not kick the ball with your pinkie toe. That will only lead to a painful toe injury. Try to hit the ball just below your pinkie toe on the knuckle.

Aim to make contact with the bottom half of the left side of the ball. If you hit the ball with the outside of your foot, your foot's follow through will not be the same direction of the path of the ball.

The height of your kick is not going to depend on where you strike the ball, but just like a straight shot, it depends on how your knee is aligned with the ball. If you knee is over the ball, the ball will stay low to the ground which is good for a pass. If you tip back slightly, the ball will get into the air.

Remember, there is no way to do this where the ball travels straight at your target. You must hit the underside of the ball from a side angle. It’s extremely difficult in soccer to strike the ball with top spin like you would in tennis so the ball spins down.

Even though the wall may be lined up directly between you and the goal, you actually have to curve the ball from the side to make it drop down. Gravity will make the ball drop as much as the spin you put on the ball. The more spin you have, the faster will ball will drop or curve.

Hitting the middle of the ball from the underside causes the ball to chip, another important skill to have, but not what you want to use on a free kick or pass.

Some drills:

One way to practice this is to take corner kicks and try to bend the ball into the goal. If you are right-footed, line up behind the end line on an angle and try to aim your kicks either in the air or the ground into the goal.

You can also practice curving the ball when you practice with a teammate by placing a cone or another ball between you. Practice curving the ball back and forth to each other without hitting the object between you.

OSU SOCCER - CREATING PLAYERS ! DEVELOPING CHAMPIONS !