The Arrow Foot: The Easiest Way to Aim Your Passes

Imagine you are holding a bow and arrow. If you want to hit the target, you have to point the bow at the target first. You cannot aim it off to the side and hope the arrow magically flies the right way.

In soccer, your body has a built-in arrow.

It is not your kicking foot. It is your standing foot. This is the foot you plant on the ground right next to the ball when you make a pass. Coaches often call this your "plant foot."

We like to call it your Arrow Foot.

If you want your passes to go straight to your teammate, you must learn how to aim this foot. It is the easiest way to fix a bad pass. Here is how it works.

Why Your Kicking Foot Gets Too Much Credit

When players miss a pass, they usually look down at their kicking foot. They think they hit the ball with the wrong part of their shoe. They think they need to swing their leg differently.

But your kicking foot only does what your standing foot tells it to do.

Think of your hips like the headlights on a car. Whichever way your standing foot points, your hips will turn.

If your standing foot points to the left, your hips turn left. Your kicking foot will swing to the left, too. The ball will roll to the left, even if you wanted it to go straight.

If your standing foot points right at your teammate, your hips line up perfectly. Your kicking leg can swing straight through the ball. The pass will go exactly where you want it to go.

The Three Rules of the Arrow Foot

To make your passes sharp and accurate, you need to follow three simple rules every time you step up to kick the ball.

• Rule 1: Point the big toe. Your big toe is the tip of your arrow. Point that big toe exactly at the chest of the player you want to pass to.
• Rule 2: Mind the gap. Do not step too close to the ball, or you will trip over your own legs. Do not step too far away, or you will have to stretch and lose your balance. Leave a gap about the width of your hand between your standing foot and the side of the ball.
• Rule 3: Bend your knee. Keep the knee of your standing leg slightly bent. This keeps you balanced and low to the ground. If your standing leg is perfectly straight like a wooden post, you will wobble when you kick.

Three Common Mistakes to Avoid

Once you start watching your standing foot, you will notice when you make these common mistakes:

• The Step-Behind: This is when you plant your standing foot too far behind the ball. This makes your kicking foot scoop under the ball, causing it to fly up in the air. Keep your standing foot right next to the ball.
• The Step-Ahead: This is when you plant your standing foot too far in front of the ball. This makes you kick the ground or hit the ball with no power at all.
• The Lazy Toe: This is when you do not bother to turn your standing foot. It stays pointed forward while you try to pass sideways. This makes your leg swing across your body, and the pass usually goes wide.

How to Practice This at Home

You do not need a team practice to work on this. You just need a wall, a ball, and five minutes.

Find a brick or concrete wall. Stand about five steps away from it. Place the ball on the ground.

Step up and pass the ball gently against the wall using the inside of your foot.

As soon as you kick the ball, freeze. Do not move your feet. Look down.

Is your standing foot pointing straight at the wall? Is it one hand-width away from where the ball was? Is your knee bent?

If the answer is yes, do it again. If the answer is no, fix your foot and try the next one.

Do this 20 times with your right foot, then 20 times with your left foot. If you do this every day for a week, your standing foot will start finding the right spot automatically. You won't even have to think about it on game day. Your passes will just start hitting your teammates right on their feet.