Have you ever wanted to kick a soccer ball so far but felt like you couldn’t? Well, if you have, that wouldn’t be a matter of concern anymore because this article will cover a few techniques that can help you kick the ball farther.
Learning this trick would be very helpful for you when you are on the field. Regardless of the position you hold on the field, kicking the ball far will always be vital for you and your team.
The truth is, kicking a soccer ball far might take a while to master. It would take a lot of time and practice, so you have to be dedicated while exercising patience. As you know, “Rome wasn’t built in a day,” so it’s okay if it takes some time to get the hang of it.
So, let’s get right into it!
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How To Kick A Soccer Ball Far?
Know this, you don’t need expert skills like Ronaldinho to kick a soccer ball far. However, you need to focus on techniques to help improve your kicking power and train intensively.
Carrying out powerful kicks would require the participation of your entire body (legs, feet) and mind inclusive. Contrary to popular beliefs, you don’t need to have large leg muscles to kick better either.
However, you would have to improve your leg speed, as it would help improve your overall techniques. With the proper techniques and great speed, you can cover great distances when you kick the ball.
When kicking the ball, you must have a target for how far you want the ball to go. This would determine how much effort you put into the foot you connect with the ball.
Let’s look at a few techniques you could practice to get better at kicking a ball far.
1. Workout to get stronger
Getting stronger and gaining muscles is essential for every player, irrespective of their position on the field. For example, to kick a ball farther, you would have to exercise more to build strength and muscles for your body.
A full-body workout is needed to increase strength in general, not just for your legs. When exercising, you want to focus more on the muscles you use for kicking: the main, lower, and upper hamstrings, which are necessary for a full backswing.
Also, you want to strengthen your core. A strong core would help control the twisting of your entire body during a kicking swing.
There are exercises that aid in getting more accurate and powerful shots, emphasizing your core and quads.
Engaging in these exercises would help strengthen your body and improve your overall fitness, which would, in turn, help you improve your kicking power. These exercises include:
- Front squats
- Deadlift variations
- Split squats
- Planks
- Ab wheel rollouts
- Lunges
- Bench press
Pros
- Enhances strength.
- Gives better balance.
- Contributes to a more powerful movement.
- Builds muscles.
Cons
- You can get muscle soreness.
- Injuries are bound to happen when done wrongly.
2. Use skill, not power
You might not know it, but you don’t need to use all of your strength to kick a ball farther, although it helps. In addition, you would need to be smart and smooth in your movement.
All the best players, including Cristiano Ronaldo and Mo Salah, rely heavily on techniques and not pure strength to make their shot look easy. There are a couple of soccer techniques you can use to kick a soccer ball farther away effectively.
First, you could do a long ball pass. For this, you would need to use the combination of the inside of your foot and the laces. You must follow through after the pass. You have to lean your body behind a little for the ball to elevate and hit the target.
Pros
- Improves ball control
- Promotes high performance
- Reduces the risk of injury
Cons
- You could suffer injuries
- Time-consuming
3. Boost your backswing
Although several players have a naturally big backswing, others have to work (practice) to achieve this. To achieve kicking a soccer ball to a far distance, it wouldn’t make any sense just to kick it with your feet 2 inches away.
You have to strike with some force to kick the ball as far as you would like. Plus, you would have to draw your kicking foot as far back as possible to kick the ball and get that extra momentum you need.
However, you have to be careful and practice a lot, as this would require a level of body coordination. Without enough practice, drawing the foot back can create poor or inconsistent contact with the ball.
Steps to follow
- Reduce your strides as you approach the ball for a kick
- Plant your non-kicking foot on the ground and in the direction you want the ball to go
- Bend your non-kicking knee slightly
- Then, bring your kicking leg as far back as possible and swing it forward with your toe facing down.
- As you swing the ball, follow through your shot by moving your foot through the ball as it leaves your foot.
- Land your kicking foot down before you move out of position
- Repeat drill for different distances
Pros
- Improves speed and power.
- Enhances ball control.
Cons
- Risk of hurting your leg muscles
4. Kick the lower part of the ball
When chipping a soccer ball, you should strike beneath the ball, which would help you cover more height. However, this technique doesn’t help to cover much distance.
So, what do you do to cover more distance? First, you would have to practice kicking the lower part of the ball just before the base. This would not only make the ball go higher, but it would also take the ball farther away.
Pros
- Allows the ball to cover more distance
- Improves ball control
Cons
- It would take a while before you can get it right
5. Extensive shooting practice
Practicing shooting drills can help improve your accuracy. The more drills you practice, the better you get at kicking the ball farther.
In soccer, a popular chipping technique is often used to control how high and far the ball should go. Players use this trick to get past their opponents on the pitch.
Moreover, this trick is usually executed in situations where there isn’t much room to navigate yourself. To properly get the hang of it, you would have to engage in a lot of practice.
Nevertheless, there are two ways you could chip a ball. The first one involves you stabbing at the bottom of the ball with the lower part of the instep and your toes.
While the second one involves pointing the foot to the side of the body and then sweeping it under the ball, which would help you to obtain height and backspin. This will allow you to shoot the ball farther and more accurately than ever.
Steps to follow
- At a slight angle, approach the ball by running towards it.
- Plant the non-kicking foot close to the side of the ball, just as you are about to kick
- With your kicking foot, angle your toe downward to scoop beneath the ball properly.
- Execute the kick by launching the ball forward in a swift upward motion
- As you kick, lean your body back to shift some of your weight backward.
Pros
- Enhances ball control
- Improves field play
- It can even create goal-scoring opportunities.
Cons
- Could take a while to master
6. Use your body
Most players think that they only have to rely on their leg strength when kicking a ball far away. However, this is false. When you focus on just your legs to kick a ball effectively, it generally results in a crunch effect.
Why? Because you tend to remove the standing leverage for the arms. Plus, the overall full-body momentum is not being used, causing the upper body to mitigate the leg effort. You must use your body and leg during a kick swing.
If done correctly, balancing your entire body in the proper position before using your feet to kick the ball can result in a much more smooth rhythm. This would help you make consistent contact to help you cover a greater distance.
Pros
- Better body balance.
- Improved overall performance.
Cons
- Lack of proper coordination could lead to injury.
7. Quicken your leg speed
Now that you are kicking the ball from a much more balanced and taller position, you can develop your speed. In fact, this is an essential aspect of football.
For this, you would want to focus on building the muscles you need for kicking. Generally, when pulling your legs back, you use your hamstring, hip, and groin.
For swinging, you use your hip, groin, abs, and quads. You could use some typical workouts to build pace to improve your leg speed.
Plyometrics, which involve explosive exercises, can help activate these kicking muscles’ quick responses and elastic properties. Also, these exercises help control and utilize the change in direction and the force used to kick a ball.
Pros
- Improves muscle power.
- Builds endurance.
- Increases kick power for ball speed.
- Improves overall performance.
- Reduce injury risk.
Cons
- Stress on joints and muscles
8. Use your shoulder to steer the ball
On your approach and follow-through, you want to ensure that your shoulder faces your target. It’s important to turn or position your shoulders in the direction you want the ball to go.
Think of your shoulder as your map guide. If your shoulder scope is off, you won’t be able to hit the target.
Pros
- Improves accuracy
- Better athletic performance
Cons
- Proper lack of understanding can make it difficult to achieve
Conclusion
In soccer, it’s necessary to effectively learn how to shoot your ball to a far distance. Not just shooting randomly but accurately, as it would come in handy while you are on the pitch with your teammates.
For this to happen, you would need to exercise and practice regularly to strengthen your upper and lower body. Regardless, not only do you have to exercise, you also have to practice shooting the ball.
However, practice makes perfect, and you will have to be intentional about following through with every one of them. You have to be committed by putting in the optimal effort to get the most out of it.
Now that you know how to manage yourself properly, what are you waiting for? Improve your kicking distance, become a more efficient and influential player, and be a significant contributor to your team’s success.
Hi there, I’m Jay.
Soccer is everything in my life! My friends and I have created this blog with all our enthusiasm, passion, and understanding after years of playing pro soccer. Hope you will enjoy it!