Gareth Bale's Free Kicks

[london blue 2]

Imo, if you have the power in your legs to hit a ball very very hard without straining, then you can perfect that easier than the next bloke because you are concerned only with striking the ball sweetly, not worrying about how hard you strike it & losing your body shape.

Balotelli could do it regularly if he could be arsed working hard on it.

Not tying to be a pain disagreeing all the time Ted but I don't believe that is the case.

Mario never had that in his locker. The skill is in the technique alone, any footballer has the power to generate that movement, this in my opinion is why you have various smaller/skinnier players able to hit magnificent strikes. A few examples

Dyer Vs arse (I think)
Robinho has hit a few long rangers for brasil
Shaunny for us
Defoe
Walcott
Aguero vs swansea
Gardener

I think the less powerfull player make up the power in technique.

That said Ronaldo and Bale are both very powerful. i'm not denying that.

[BlueinBosnia]

Surely hitting just off the valve will cause more swerve, as this will affect the shape of the ball more (if I remember correctly, there's a hardened area with a diameter of c. 4cm around the valve), due to increased distortion?

On the cricket comparison: would the ball being wet on one side and dry on another affect flight path in a similar way? If so, doesn't Bale tend to wear long-sleeved shirts?

[Scatman]

Imagine having to put up with this commentator for 90 minutes. Makes Jonathan Pearce sound bored:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZ_8X4IuAmo

[Ted Hughes]

Imo, if you have the power in your legs to hit a ball very very hard without straining, then you can perfect that easier than the next bloke because you are concerned only with striking the ball sweetly, not worrying about how hard you strike it & losing your body shape.

Balotelli could do it regularly if he could be arsed working hard on it.

Not tying to be a pain disagreeing all the time Ted but I don't believe that is the case.

Mario never had that in his locker. The skill is in the technique alone, any footballer has the power to generate that movement, this in my opinion is why you have various smaller/skinnier players able to hit magnificent strikes. A few examples

Dyer Vs arse (I think)
Robinho has hit a few long rangers for brasil
Shaunny for us
Defoe
Walcott
Aguero vs swansea
Gardener

I think the less powerfull player make up the power in technique.

That said Ronaldo and Bale are both very powerful. i'm not denying that.

It's not to say that they could never do it, just that it would be harder for them, as they would have to generate 100% power wheras Ronaldo only needs 70%.

Aguero is a much harder hitter than any of those bar Ronaldo & could possibly do it more regularly.

Imo, Bale & Ronaldo, Drogba, Kolarov etc naturally hit the ball much much much harder than any of those players & Balotelli is probably the only top player in the world with that kind of power who doesn't produce those kind of free kicks.

Purely because he can't be arsed putting the effort in to practice it imo. He's done it in the past.

[Dameerto]

Surely hitting just off the valve will cause more swerve, as this will affect the shape of the ball more (if I remember correctly, there's a hardened area with a diameter of c. 4cm around the valve), due to increased distortion?

On the cricket comparison: would the ball being wet on one side and dry on another affect flight path in a similar way? If so, doesn't Bale tend to wear long-sleeved shirts?

Not sure about that - my personal theory is that he wellies the valve causing it to compress on impact, it springs back to a more usual shape in midair and the slight difference in weight for that bit of the ball suddenly springing back causes it to change it's flight.

[Alex Sapphire]

this video isn't very enlightening but it doesn't look to me like he is as precise as some think in the spot he hits. Nice tune though

[youtube]OnGPCAuOJ6U[/youtube]

[Scatman]

this video isn't very enlightening but it doesn't look to me like he is as precise as some think in the spot he hits. Nice tune though

[youtube]OnGPCAuOJ6U[/youtube]

The goalie wasn't helped by his wall placement though

[Alex Sapphire]

this video isn't very enlightening but it doesn't look to me like he is as precise as some think in the spot he hits. Nice tune though

[youtube]OnGPCAuOJ6U[/youtube]

The goalie wasn't helped by his wall placement though

the one on the end is Nasri

[Lees Alter Ego]

I was watching a Chelsea game when Luiz scored a free kick in the break ray Wilkins said he got the dip (knew this from watching drogba in training) from putting a divot in the ground just in front of the ball and when they strike it it would it the divot and cause it to dip due to top spin. I think this is how they do it

[Ted Hughes]

I was watching a Chelsea game when Luiz scored a free kick in the break ray Wilkins said he got the dip (knew this from watching drogba in training) from putting a divot in the ground just in front of the ball and when they strike it it would it the divot and cause it to dip due to top spin. I think this is how they do it

It could be his own spazzy way but it's not how Ronaldo does it & Ray Wilkins is a fucking moron, so Luiz may have been taking the piss out of him.

With Ronaldo, it's just hitting through the ball below centre using a a bit more toe as opposed to when he hits a curler, which is almost side footed. If he does it & cuts accross at the same time, it can go the other way. If he overdoes it, then it balloons & ends up somewhere in Antarctica.

Both the sidefoot & the dipper are easier for Ronaldo to do than for Joe average because of the amount of power he possesses, same with Beckham & his side footers. Most people can't side foot a football at 85 mph without fucking knacking themselves, Beckham can, so he hits the target more, as he's not straining.

Valve poistioning is interesting in that Bale video. Different height for each type of kick but always in the middle.

[BlueinBosnia]

Surely hitting just off the valve will cause more swerve, as this will affect the shape of the ball more (if I remember correctly, there's a hardened area with a diameter of c. 4cm around the valve), due to increased distortion?

On the cricket comparison: would the ball being wet on one side and dry on another affect flight path in a similar way? If so, doesn't Bale tend to wear long-sleeved shirts?

Not sure about that - my personal theory is that he wellies the valve causing it to compress on impact, it springs back to a more usual shape in midair and the slight difference in weight for that bit of the ball suddenly springing back causes it to change it's flight.

My point is that anything that involves hitting the edge of the hardened valve area would create a greater difference wrt symmetry, hence affecting flight.

A ball weighs the same, whatever. You're talking about density, which should have minimal effect, considering the weight of the ball.

Regarding the cricket comment; that's just a stab in the dark. I live in the northern hemisphere, and have a satisfactory sex life. Therefore, I cannot claim to be an authority.

[maxxi]

We sold our best free kick taker ;(

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poVKC_4yJUs&feature=youtu.be[/youtube]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poVKC_4yJUs

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQc7wUtdNWI&feature=youtu.be[/youtube]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQc7wUtdNWI

[Dannyhig]

Wudnt call him best ???????? U can show 2 videos ov his freekicks how many can u find ov him hittin wall or over... Also how many u find ov kolorov scorin alot more .. Silva n tevez beta also ... Inface put kolorovs goals on more than 2 ??

[Dameerto]

Surely hitting just off the valve will cause more swerve, as this will affect the shape of the ball more (if I remember correctly, there's a hardened area with a diameter of c. 4cm around the valve), due to increased distortion?

On the cricket comparison: would the ball being wet on one side and dry on another affect flight path in a similar way? If so, doesn't Bale tend to wear long-sleeved shirts?

Not sure about that - my personal theory is that he wellies the valve causing it to compress on impact, it springs back to a more usual shape in midair and the slight difference in weight for that bit of the ball suddenly springing back causes it to change it's flight.

My point is that anything that involves hitting the edge of the hardened valve area would create a greater difference wrt symmetry, hence affecting flight.

A ball weighs the same, whatever. You're talking about density, which should have minimal effect, considering the weight of the ball.

Regarding the cricket comment; that's just a stab in the dark. I live in the northern hemisphere, and have a satisfactory sex life. Therefore, I cannot claim to be an authority.

If you want to get technical Im talking about the mass of the ball's casing, which will have a slight variance in the hemisphere containing the valve (due to strengthening around the valve as much as the valve itself) unless they compensate with material in the other hemisphere.

[Ted Hughes]

We sold our best free kick taker ;(

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poVKC_4yJUs&feature=youtu.be[/youtube]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poVKC_4yJUs

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQc7wUtdNWI&feature=youtu.be[/youtube]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQc7wUtdNWI

The invisible man ?

He's not really here.

[I Just Blue Myself]

Javier Garrido?