Penalty preparation more important than ever as Germans collapse under spot-kick pressure

Germany's reputation for penalty shootout perfection crumbled on Monday as they lost to Paraguay in a stunning upset, marking their first-ever defeat from the spot at a World Cup. The match ended 1-1, leading to a nerve-jangling shootout where Kai Havertz, Nick Woltemade, and Jonathan Tah all failed to convert their kicks for Germany.

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The best penalty takers are specialists, who have worked relentlessly for years to perfect their kicks. This skill always has a technical component - how to hit the ball to get it to where you want it to go.

Paraguay also faced pressure, having to recover from squandering a two-goal lead in the shootout before Jose Canale secured their victory and a place in the last 16. Geir Jordet, a professor of football psychology and author of "Pressure: Lessons from the psychology of the penalty shoot-out," highlighted penalties as a supreme test of mental fortitude. "The best penalty takers are specialists, who have worked relentlessly for years to perfect their kicks," he told Reuters, emphasizing both technical skill and mental preparation.

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It is almost impossible to recreate the exact conditions of such a big occasion; the better question in my opinion is rather, to what extent can pressure be recreated and does that have an impact on the outcome?

Jordet believes the focus should be less on recreating high-pressure conditions in training and more on understanding how pressure itself can be managed. "It is almost impossible to recreate the exact conditions of such a big occasion," he said, suggesting the more pertinent question is "to what extent can pressure be recreated and does that have an impact on the outcome?" Research indicates that training with anxiety can positively influence performance under high anxiety.

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There is a lot of research on so-called pressure training, which shows that training with some anxiety will have an impact on performing with high anxiety.

For his book, Jordet studied over 100 shootouts, analyzing more than 700 penalty kicks. He advocates for techniques like visualization, self-talk, and pre-shot routines to help players maintain control. These methods can empower players to manage situations where a goalkeeper might become disruptive or to pause and breathe after the referee's signal. Ultimately, Jordet noted, penalties are a contest of will and skill, and those who take responsibility, even in failure, deserve respect for facing such extreme pressure.

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Players can do different things to take control of the situation, and not allow the opponent to dictate the conditions of the event - by for example, re-starting the routine if the goalkeeper becomes extra volatile or hostile, or make sure to take a little pause with a few breaths after the referee signal has been given.