Free kick routines

Free kicks are awarded after a foul or a similar infringement. The attacking team gets the ball stopped, with at least 9.15 metres (10 yards) of space around it, and a few moments to decide what to do with it. That brief pause — much like at corners — gives the team time to set up rehearsed patterns rather than rely on what they would do in open play.

Free kicks are split into direct and indirect free kicks. A goal can be scored directly from a direct free kick. From an indirect free kick, the ball must be touched by another player before a goal can count. Indirect free kicks are awarded for specific technical offences, such as offside, dangerous play without contact or certain goalkeeper offences.

From a wide position outside shooting range, the kicker delivers a cross into the penalty area. The patterns are similar to corners — specific runs by attackers, blockers screening defenders, and a player picking up the second ball at the edge of the area. The main difference is that the angle is different, which changes the kind of cross that works best.

Some teams use the wide free kick as a near-corner. They put their best aerial attackers in the box, deliver the cross to a specific zone, and treat the kick as a chance to attack from a known set position. Others use the free kick to play short, restarting the move in possession rather than crossing immediately.

Some of the most unusual indirect free kicks happen inside the penalty area. The defending team usually puts every available player on or near the goal line. The attacking team has to touch the ball to one player and then strike it into the net before the defenders can close the space, often with very little angle to work with.

Outside the box, indirect free kicks are less unusual but still distinct. A common routine is to play the ball short to a teammate, who then strikes a shot or delivers a cross after the required touch has been made.

Sometimes the best free kick is taken quickly, before the opposition can organise its wall, marking or defensive shape. Quick free kicks are especially useful when the defending team has switched off after committing the foul.

A quick free kick is still a tactical choice. The taker has to judge whether the chance to attack an unorganised defence is better than waiting for teammates to set up a rehearsed delivery.

A standard wall is three to five players, depending on the angle of the kick. The wall stands shoulder-to-shoulder with their hands by their sides, jumps as the ball is struck, and tries to block the shot. Most goalkeepers prefer a four- or five-player wall from central positions and a smaller wall from wider angles.

Attacking teams have several ways to beat the wall. They can use decoy runners, lay-offs or players positioned legally near the wall to disturb the goalkeeper's view or change the shooting angle. Some routines use two players running over the ball as decoys before a third player takes the actual kick.

The skills required for free kick taking are specific. The kicker needs to strike the ball cleanly, with the right amount of curve or dip, from a standing position with no run-up to speak of. Most players are not particularly good at this. The few who are quickly become their team's permanent free kick taker, and other team-mates rarely take the chance.

Goalkeepers research opposition specialists. They study the kicker's preferred technique, where they aim, and how often they bend the ball around the wall versus over it. Some specialists are predictable enough that the goalkeeper knows where the shot is going before it is taken; others are so accurate that being able to anticipate where the ball will go does not help much.