I was never a professional football player, but I played the game from primary to high school and during my days as a traffic officer in Joburg.
With due respect to our professional coaches, I have written many times about how to involve your body, eyes and legs when playing football, but it seems like I’m shouting in the desert; nobody is listening.
What I observed during my amateur football days is that your body must be inclined forward, with your eyes on the intended target — away from the goalkeeper.
Your foot and your eyes will focus on the identified target with a very minimum probability of missing it. It’s simple but needs practice until you can do it naturally and spontaneously.
We don’t expect a professional to commit costly mistakes such as scooping the ball over the goalpost, all because his body was thrown backwards and his eyes were looking downwards before taking the kick.
Let the body, eyes and legs always be involved at the same time. This fundamental concept of football looks simplistic, but it is essential to achieve the objective of winning the match. — AK Bantseke, Ga-Rankuwa
