The Number That Matters
Jordet's analysis of 366 penalties gives the clearest result: shooters who took their time placing the ball scored 80 per cent of the time. Shooters who hurried the process scored only 58 per cent.
Twenty-two percentage points. Between two behaviours that have nothing to do with technique.
The difference does not lie in the shot. It lies in the twenty seconds before it.
Avoidance Behaviour: The Real Problem
Jordet calls the pattern avoidance behaviour. It appears when the pressure is highest — on kicks where a miss decides the tie immediately.
How to spot it:
- The eyes move away from the goalkeeper. The shooter looks at the ball, the ground, anywhere else.
- Placing the ball becomes hurried. Put it down, walk straight back, no pause.
- The run-up starts too early. Often before the referee has signalled.
These are not character flaws. They are attempts to get an unpleasant situation over with quickly. And it is exactly that attempt that lowers the conversion rate.
Interesting for coaches: Jordet found the worst figures among players with the highest status. Those with the most to lose are the most likely to rush.
The Routine Is the Only Real Anchor
If haste is the problem, a fixed routine is the answer. Not as a ritual, but as something that occupies space in the head that would otherwise fill with fear.
A usable routine has four steps and takes about ten seconds:
1. Place the ball and stand still for a moment. Do not walk straight back.
2. Look at the goalkeeper once, deliberately. Deliberately, not in passing.
3. One breath. A single one, but a complete one.
4. Only then walk back and wait for the signal.
The corner is chosen beforehand, not during the run-up. A player still deciding while running leaves the decision to the goalkeeper.
Every player defines this routine for themselves and runs it identically every time — in training, in matches, in shootouts. A routine only brought out for the big moment is not a routine.
The Order
The common rule "best takers first" falls short. More useful:
- Taker 1 should be someone who scores reliably and radiates calm. The first kick sets the tone.
- Taker 5 needs the strongest nerves, not the best technique. That kick carries the most pressure.
- The middle is the place for younger and less certain players.
- Nobody takes one who does not want to. A volunteer with average technique converts more reliably than a persuaded technician.
In youth football one thing is added: the order is set before the match, not in the hurried huddle at the centre circle.
The Goalkeeper
Psychologically the situation favours the goalkeeper — they can only win. That is exactly what you should tell them.
What helps in practice:
- Take your time. The goalkeeper sets the tempo, not the shooter.
- Presence, not showmanship. Stand tall, make yourself big, hold eye contact.
- Commit late. Going down too early gets you read.
More on the basics in the article on goalkeeper positioning.
How to Bring It Into Training
The usual mistake: at the end of the session everyone hits two shots at goal, no pressure, no consequence. That trains the technique, not the situation.
What works instead:
- After the hardest load, not before it. Penalties come after 120 minutes, not fresh.
- With an audience. The whole squad stands at the centre circle and watches. That is enough pressure.
- With a consequence. The loser packs the gear away. Small, but real.
- With the full walk. From the centre circle to the spot, with the routine — not from a pile of balls on the penalty spot.
- Watch the behaviour, not just the ball. Does he look at the keeper? Does he take his time?
The same line of research sits behind scanning training after Jordet — in both cases it is about what a player does with their eyes before the action.
On handling pressure in general, the article on mental toughness in football is worth reading.
5 Takeaways for Coaches
- Train the seconds before the shot, not just the shot. That is where the twenty-two percentage points sit.
- Every player gets a fixed routine. Always the same, including in normal training.
- The corner is chosen beforehand. Never during the run-up.
- Set the order in advance, with the strongest nerves in fifth place.
- Only volunteers take one. Someone who does not want to will not score.