England, take note: Scientists uncover the secret behind taking the perfect penalty. It seemed inevitable England would face the old foe, Germany, in the World Cup finals in South Africa.
And after being beaten twice on a penalties by them in two major tournaments, the prospect of another shootout strikes fear into the heart of every football fan.
But help could be at hand after scientists carried out research unlocked the secrets of taking a successful spot kick.
According to scientists, England players will need to point the toe of their standing foot directly at the centre of goal in order to boost their chances.
If they point it to either the left or the right they will be giving the goalkeeper a massive hint on the direction they intend to strike the ball.
Scientists at Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) pored over video footage of former England striker, Matt Le Tissier's penalty technique.
They found that when he intended to direct the ball to the goalkeeper's right hand side, the non-kicking foot was angled towards that side of the goal.
Similarly, when aiming the ball to the goalkeeper's left side his standing foot was pointing 15 degrees right of neutral.
The research, conceived by online bookmakers, 888sport.com, could have a major impact on the way players take penalties in the future.
The research was carried out with the help of former Southampton and England star, Le Tissier, who is widely regarded as England's best ever penalty taker with a career 48 out of 49 penalty strikes.
Between the goalposts was Mark Crossley - the only goalkeeper to ever save one of the striker's spot kicks.
The pair carried out 50 spot kicks under the watchful eyes of researchers from The Football Exchange at LJMU.
Matt Le Tissier said: 'My approach to penalties was always the same. Pick my favourite spot and focus on the strike of the ball.
'I never thought I was giving away any clues to the keeper but it looks like I was wrong.
'While nothing can prepare you for the pressure of taking a penalty in a World Cup finals, the research by 888sport.com might just provide the likes of Rooney and Lampard with the little bit of help they need to end our penalty misery.'
The research also unearthed further findings that can help:
Dr Mark Lake of LJMU said: 'Penalties are more of a psychological battle than anything else but there are certainly technical aspects that affect the success ratio.
'Our findings will not only help the penalty taker but they will also benefit England’s goalkeeper – whoever that might be.
'It would be much kinder on all of our stress levels if the England boys can wrap the job up within 90 minutes though.'
Ed Nicholson, 888sport spokesman, said: 'How can a 12 yard kick cause English football so much pain? Pearce, Waddle, Batty, Ince and Southgate have all failed and no one wants to see Wayne Rooney doing a Pizza advert after the tournament.
'If our research can help Fabio’s Lions roar and banish our penalty demons, then we could be celebrating a World Cup victory come 10pm on July 11.' ( dailymail.co.uk )
And after being beaten twice on a penalties by them in two major tournaments, the prospect of another shootout strikes fear into the heart of every football fan.
But help could be at hand after scientists carried out research unlocked the secrets of taking a successful spot kick.
According to scientists, England players will need to point the toe of their standing foot directly at the centre of goal in order to boost their chances.
Stuart Pearce misses his penalty against Germany at the Italia 90 World Cup
Scientists at Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) pored over video footage of former England striker, Matt Le Tissier's penalty technique.
They found that when he intended to direct the ball to the goalkeeper's right hand side, the non-kicking foot was angled towards that side of the goal.
Similarly, when aiming the ball to the goalkeeper's left side his standing foot was pointing 15 degrees right of neutral.
The research, conceived by online bookmakers, 888sport.com, could have a major impact on the way players take penalties in the future.
The research was carried out with the help of former Southampton and England star, Le Tissier, who is widely regarded as England's best ever penalty taker with a career 48 out of 49 penalty strikes.
Between the goalposts was Mark Crossley - the only goalkeeper to ever save one of the striker's spot kicks.
That's more like it: Frank Lampard scores a penalty during the World Cup 2010 qualifier between against Croatia at Wembley last year
Matt Le Tissier said: 'My approach to penalties was always the same. Pick my favourite spot and focus on the strike of the ball.
'I never thought I was giving away any clues to the keeper but it looks like I was wrong.
'While nothing can prepare you for the pressure of taking a penalty in a World Cup finals, the research by 888sport.com might just provide the likes of Rooney and Lampard with the little bit of help they need to end our penalty misery.'
The research also unearthed further findings that can help:
- Players should always stroke the ball into the net - penalties struck under 50mph will hit the net far more regulary (73 per cent of the time) that those struck over 50mph.
- Aim for the top corner- The penalty taker needs to strike the ball so that it is not within the goalkeepers envelope. The 'goalkeeper's envelope' is the area he can physically cover and the top corners are not within that range.
- Researchers found the best angles to hit the ball are with a trajectory of between nine and 13.5 degrees and struck between 15 and 19 degrees away from the penalty spot to the centre of the goal.
- Goalkeepers should hold their position for an extra 50 milliseconds before diving - this gives the keeper a chance to look at the standing foot. In the experiment Crossley was able to save 27 per cent more penalties when he delayed his dive.
Dr Mark Lake of LJMU said: 'Penalties are more of a psychological battle than anything else but there are certainly technical aspects that affect the success ratio.
'Our findings will not only help the penalty taker but they will also benefit England’s goalkeeper – whoever that might be.
'It would be much kinder on all of our stress levels if the England boys can wrap the job up within 90 minutes though.'
Ed Nicholson, 888sport spokesman, said: 'How can a 12 yard kick cause English football so much pain? Pearce, Waddle, Batty, Ince and Southgate have all failed and no one wants to see Wayne Rooney doing a Pizza advert after the tournament.
'If our research can help Fabio’s Lions roar and banish our penalty demons, then we could be celebrating a World Cup victory come 10pm on July 11.' ( dailymail.co.uk )
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