That was Nike athlete Rafael Van der Vaart – a current member of Real Madrid and one of the best play-making midfielders in world. Or, according to one Youtuber – THE best player in the world.
Just goes to show you that even for the big stars, taking a penalty is pretty straight-forward. Not rocket science. But you do need to be strong-minded. I think Van der Vaart is correct – you must hit a penalty with conviction.
So here is Van der Vaart’s breakdown for how he approaches a penalty shot:
1. Remain calm
2. Put the ball down
3. Take a deep breath
4. Have the feeling that you can’t fail
5. Take some steps back
6. Choose a corner
7. Shoot the ball there with conviction
Notice that there are not a lot of technical details – like how to use your feet for instance. Van der Vaart’s approach to penalties is mostly mental. And given how much pressure is associated with penalties and how often players fail to score, I think that’s what penalty-takers should focus on. After all, it really shouldn’t be so difficult to score on such a big goal from a mere 12 paces away, should it?
Interested in seeing what over 8 million Youtubers think is the “Best penalty in the world”? Check this out:
Talk about remaining calm. And being courageous. That’s why Johan Cruyff was not only the best player in the world when he “took” that penalty but is among the best players to ever have played the game.
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Cruyff was unearthly – from the penalty spot there, yes, but even more so when he had the ball in midfield, about to lay on a ball for a teammate. It was like he was sitting 50m above the pitch, watching the action 5 seconds in the future.