Bale's placing of ball for free kicks.

[rosbif cuisson 'bleu']

mods i can't open thread, so i put this here.

I've noticed recently that when Bale places the ball for free kicks he spends time rotating the ball before placing it on the ground.
I'm guessing he's looking for the valve (if balls still have them...i know that since my day laces have gone...). I reckon it was so he can find the section of the ball that is ever so slightly 'harder' in order to improve the contact when he strikes it.
Does anyone who plays ( or not ) know if this is what's going on or if he's just 'getting in the zone'. He does seem to have found a way to get that fast dip on his free kicks. Tranny used to have a way of striking a free kick that produced a similar flight , but i never saw him looking so closely at the ball.