Curl (football)
Encyclopedia
Curl, in football
(soccer), is spin on the ball which will make it swerve, or bend, when kicked. This is imparted largely through almost slicing across the ball, and utilisation of either the inside foot or outside foot (known as a Trivela) depending on which direction the ball should bend towards. Curl is especially evident from free kicks
, shots from outside the penalty area
and cross
es. Differences between balls can also affect the amount of swerve: traditional leather
footballs are too heavy to curl without great skill, whereas the modern Adidas Teamgeist bends with a much lower effort threshold. As a general rule, the lighter and smoother the ball the more deviation there is. Making the ball curl in the air was first developed in Sheffield
during the late 1870s. At the time it was referred to as a screw shot.
, to some. The deviation from the straight path in the air is the actual curl or swerve; however, the spin on the ball that causes this is also known as the curl. Shots that swerve are known as curlers, swingers, or, in extreme cases, banana shots.
, Cristiano Ronaldo
, Franck Ribéry
, Juninho Pernambucano
, Diego
, David Beckham
, Roberto Carlos, Deco
, Didier Drogba
, Ronaldinho
and John Arne Riise
, Alex Rodrigo Dias da Costa
impart great amounts of spin on the ball, forcing it to rise, bend around a wall of defending players, or fall sharply, out of the reach of the goalkeeper. Goalkeepers usually organise walls to cover one side of the goal, and then stand themselves on the other side. Thus, the free kick taker has three choices; either to bend the ball inside of the wall and away from the goalkeeper, outside of the wall bending back inside the post, or over the wall. The latter is probably better suited to free kicks further from the goal, due to the amount of time and space needed for the ball to rise and fall.
s. The corner taker can either bend the ball away from the goalkeeper, hopefully luring him out for an attacker to pounce, or into the goalkeeper for an onrushing striker. A recent idea has been to curl the ball vigorously, sending it right back out to the edge of the penalty area
, for an attacker to volley
, or take a touch and then shoot. Curling is also used for scoring Olympic goals.
.
relied routinely and expertly on this skill. Other players who uses this skill noticeably are Nelinho, Maradona, David Beckham. In the current game, Portuguese
international Ricardo Quaresma
uses it regularly, Spanish Midfielder Xavi uses it brilliantly for through balls. Aside from passing, this technique can be used to take a shot on goal, although it is difficult to master and if not done correctly can leave a player embarrassed and could compromise the current play. It requires balance, strength, and your body has to be leaning on a certain angle to execute power and bend on the ball.
Ricardo Quaresma, also scored an amazing goal against Belgium in a match that Portugal won by 4-0, the goal was credited as one of the best goals in the world. Because of the incredible effect the ball took, it managed to fool the keeper into thinking he could catch it, there was no possible defense for the unpredictable shot.
. This causes a rotating ball to form a whirlpool
about itself, with one side's air moving with the ball and the other side's air moving against the ball. This creates a difference in air pressure, and the ball deviates from its path to compensate for this.
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
(soccer), is spin on the ball which will make it swerve, or bend, when kicked. This is imparted largely through almost slicing across the ball, and utilisation of either the inside foot or outside foot (known as a Trivela) depending on which direction the ball should bend towards. Curl is especially evident from free kicks
Direct free kick
A direct free kick is a method of restarting play in a game of association football following a foul. Unlike an indirect free kick, a goal may be scored directly against the opposing side without the ball having first touched another player.-Award:...
, shots from outside the penalty area
Penalty area
The penalty area , is an area of an association football pitch. It is rectangular and extends to each side of the goal and in front of it. Within the penalty area is the penalty spot , which is from the goal line, directly in-line with the centre of the goal...
and cross
Cross (football)
In football, a cross is a delivery of a ball from either side of the field across to the front of the goal by applying various kicking techniques. A cross is there to provide a goal-scoring opportunity...
es. Differences between balls can also affect the amount of swerve: traditional leather
Leather
Leather is a durable and flexible material created via the tanning of putrescible animal rawhide and skin, primarily cattlehide. It can be produced through different manufacturing processes, ranging from cottage industry to heavy industry.-Forms:...
footballs are too heavy to curl without great skill, whereas the modern Adidas Teamgeist bends with a much lower effort threshold. As a general rule, the lighter and smoother the ball the more deviation there is. Making the ball curl in the air was first developed in Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
during the late 1870s. At the time it was referred to as a screw shot.
Nomenclature
There is a degree of confusion surrounding the correct naming of different aspects of curl. The technique of putting curl on a ball is known as chanfle, from SpanishSpanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, to some. The deviation from the straight path in the air is the actual curl or swerve; however, the spin on the ball that causes this is also known as the curl. Shots that swerve are known as curlers, swingers, or, in extreme cases, banana shots.
Free kicks
Free kick specialists such as Alessandro Del PieroAlessandro Del Piero
Alessandro Del Piero Ufficiale OMRI is an Italian World Cup-winning footballer who plays for Serie A club Juventus, of which he is also club captain....
, Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro, OIH, , commonly known as Cristiano Ronaldo, is a Portuguese footballer who plays as a winger or striker for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and is the captain of the Portuguese national team...
, Franck Ribéry
Franck Ribéry
Franck Ribéry is a French international footballer who currently plays for German club Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga. He primarily plays as a winger, preferably on the left side, and is known for "pace, energy, skill and precise passing." Ribéry is described as a player who is "fast, tricky and...
, Juninho Pernambucano
Juninho Pernambucano
Antônio Augusto Ribeiro Reis Jr. , commonly known as Juninho or Juninho Pernambucano, is a Brazilian footballer and dead-ball specialist, currently playing as a midfielder for Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A club CR Vasco da Gama. He is considered to be one of the greatest free kick takers of all time...
, Diego
Diego Ribas da Cunha
Diego Ribas da Cunha , commonly known as just Diego, is an international Brazilian footballer who plays for Atlético Madrid on loan from VfL Wolfsburg, as an attacking midfielder.-Santos:...
, David Beckham
David Beckham
David Robert Joseph Beckham, OBE is an English footballer who plays midfield for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer, having previously played for Manchester United, Preston North End, Real Madrid, and A.C...
, Roberto Carlos, Deco
Deco
Anderson Luís de Souza, OIH , commonly known as Deco, is a Brazilian-born Portuguese professional footballer who currently plays for Fluminense....
, Didier Drogba
Didier Drogba
Didier Yves Drogba Tébily is an Ivorian footballer who plays in the centre forward position. He currently plays for Chelsea in the Premier League, where he is deputy vice-captain, and is the captain and all-time top scorer of the Côte d'Ivoire national football team...
, Ronaldinho
Ronaldinho
Ronaldo de Assis Moreira , commonly known as Ronaldinho or Ronaldinho Gaúcho, is a Brazilian footballer who plays for Flamengo and the Brazilian national team as an attacking midfielder or forward. He is a two-time winner of the FIFA World Player of the Year, awarded to the best player over the year...
and John Arne Riise
John Arne Riise
John Arne Semundseth Riise is a Norwegian footballer who currently plays as a left wing-back for Fulham and the Norwegian national team. Riise spent seven years playing for Premier League side Liverpool before moving to Roma in 2008...
, Alex Rodrigo Dias da Costa
Alex Rodrigo Dias da Costa
Alex Rodrigo Dias da Costa, better known as Alex , is a Brazilian footballer who plays for Chelsea FC and the Brazil national team. His nickname is "Vinny" amongst fans for his close similarities to actor Vin Diesel....
impart great amounts of spin on the ball, forcing it to rise, bend around a wall of defending players, or fall sharply, out of the reach of the goalkeeper. Goalkeepers usually organise walls to cover one side of the goal, and then stand themselves on the other side. Thus, the free kick taker has three choices; either to bend the ball inside of the wall and away from the goalkeeper, outside of the wall bending back inside the post, or over the wall. The latter is probably better suited to free kicks further from the goal, due to the amount of time and space needed for the ball to rise and fall.
Corners
Curling can be an effective technique when taking cornerCorner kick
A corner kick is a method of restarting play in a game of association football. It was first devised in Sheffield under the Sheffield Rules 1867...
s. The corner taker can either bend the ball away from the goalkeeper, hopefully luring him out for an attacker to pounce, or into the goalkeeper for an onrushing striker. A recent idea has been to curl the ball vigorously, sending it right back out to the edge of the penalty area
Penalty area
The penalty area , is an area of an association football pitch. It is rectangular and extends to each side of the goal and in front of it. Within the penalty area is the penalty spot , which is from the goal line, directly in-line with the centre of the goal...
, for an attacker to volley
Volley (football)
A volley is an air-borne strike in association football, where a player's feet meets and directs the ball in an angled direction before it has time to reach the ground...
, or take a touch and then shoot. Curling is also used for scoring Olympic goals.
Passing
Less obvious, but still useful, curling can be used in passing. Effective through balls are often the result of a curled pass around the defender, or long cross field passes are sometimes aided by the addition of curl or backspinBackspin
In racquet sports, backspin , is a shot such that the ball rotates backwards after it is hit. The trajectory of the shot involves an upward force that lifts the ball...
.
Notable Players
Many players have used the Trivela in their game but most notably Franz BeckenbauerFranz Beckenbauer
Franz Anton Beckenbauer is a German football coach, manager, and former player, nicknamed Der Kaiser because of his elegant style, his leadership, his first name "Franz" , and his dominance on the football pitch...
relied routinely and expertly on this skill. Other players who uses this skill noticeably are Nelinho, Maradona, David Beckham. In the current game, Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
international Ricardo Quaresma
Ricardo Quaresma
Ricardo Andrade Quaresma Bernardo is a Portuguese footballer of partial Romani descent who currently plays as a winger for Turkish Süper Lig side Beşiktaş J.K and the Portuguese national team. Quaresma began his career at Sporting Clube de Portugal, and has also played for FC Barcelona, FC Porto,...
uses it regularly, Spanish Midfielder Xavi uses it brilliantly for through balls. Aside from passing, this technique can be used to take a shot on goal, although it is difficult to master and if not done correctly can leave a player embarrassed and could compromise the current play. It requires balance, strength, and your body has to be leaning on a certain angle to execute power and bend on the ball.
Ricardo Quaresma, also scored an amazing goal against Belgium in a match that Portugal won by 4-0, the goal was credited as one of the best goals in the world. Because of the incredible effect the ball took, it managed to fool the keeper into thinking he could catch it, there was no possible defense for the unpredictable shot.
Causes
The reason that spin on a football makes it swerve is the Magnus effectMagnus effect
The Magnus effect is the phenomenon whereby a spinning object flying in a fluid creates a whirlpool of fluid around itself, and experiences a force perpendicular to the line of motion...
. This causes a rotating ball to form a whirlpool
Whirlpool
A whirlpool is a swirling body of water usually produced by ocean tides. The vast majority of whirlpools are not very powerful. More powerful ones are more properly termed maelstroms. Vortex is the proper term for any whirlpool that has a downdraft...
about itself, with one side's air moving with the ball and the other side's air moving against the ball. This creates a difference in air pressure, and the ball deviates from its path to compensate for this.