Twelve Yards

A new, fully updated edition of a critically acclaimed, groundbreaking and fascinating exploration into the art, psychology, history and culture of the penalty kick - and how not to miss them.

Fascinating insight... highly recommended for fans, coaches and athletes in all sports.

Sir Clive Woodward, England World Cup-winning coach

Entertaining... splendid... masterful. Footballers of every nation should be reading this.

The penalty shootout is like a lottery; you never know what can happen, though I know that there is an outstanding book, Twelve Yards, that proves otherwise.

A wonderful book: extremely well-researched, well-written and international in its scope. Ben Lyttleton has done something very rare in football writing: he has got access to some of the game's leading players and coaches and got them to talk articulately and thoughtfully about a key aspect of their game. Twelve Yards reveals the level of intelligence that exists within professional football:&shy; a more cerebral zone than many people realize.

Simon Kuper, author of Football Against the Enemy and Why England Lose

The perfect palliative to ease the anxiety of footie fans, aficionados and players... With the aid of statistics, physics, psychology, body language and interviews with players, coaches and sports scientists, Lyttleton has advice and words of comfort, if not joy.

A vivid read... Lyttleton appears to have spoken to everybody who's ever taken part in a penalty shoot-out of any significance. As a result, he serves up an almost endless series of terrific set-pieces.

Brilliant... Twelve Yards is a book every England player should read.

Matt Le Tissier, former England international

Glorious... Lyttleton's book goes into remarkable detail in an attempt to find a solution, to do for England and penalties what Freud wanted to do for the human condition by transforming neurotic misery into normal human unhappiness.

Very good... a readable study of an almost unknowable art. Lyttleton's scope is nothing if not wide.

Great book… might make me take a penalty one day.

It shouldn't be that hard, should it? It's just a matter of placing a ball into a goal measuring eight feet high and eight yards wide, with only a six-foot man able to stop you. Yet the humble penalty kick has produced an inordinate amount of drama, trauma, boundless joy and shattered dreams since its invention in the late 19th century. And it is not just England who have suffered at its hands. 
 
In Twelve Yards, Ben Lyttleton tells the definitive story of the spot-kick - how to take them, how not to miss them, and the different ways that penalty-takers and goalkeepers approach them, both physically and mentally. And everyone has a tale to tell. Why did Roberto Baggio miss in the 1994 World Cup final? How did Petr Cech dive the right way six times running to help Chelsea win the 2012 Champions League final? What would have happened if Antonin Panenka had missed his famous penalty in 1976? And what has John Wayne got to do with penalties? 
 
Breaking down the statistical likelihood of scoring to within an inch of its life, while weaving together exclusive anecdotes from legends of the penalty with intriguing revelations by psychologists and sports scientists, this is the book that finally provides the answers to one of football's oldest questions. How do you score from twelve yards?

Ben Lyttleton

Learn to play, shoot and score like a pro!

Learn how to TACKLE, SCORE and SAVE like your favourite players in this new football series by bestselling author, Ben Lyttleton! 
 
Scoring goals sounds simple, right? Get the ball and put it in the back of the net. Then do a celebratory dance! Easy. 
 
The truth is, scoring goals is not easy. Not easy at all. So how do your favourite strikers like Haaland, Russo and Mbappé do it? 
 
Strikers come in all different shapes and sizes, and there are LOTS of ways to score a goal. Whether you’re going to take a left-footed shot from nine yards out during the first fifteen minutes, or an unbelievable header from inside the penalty area at the end of the second half, this book will give you the skills, techniques, tactics and mindset needed to be a top striker and improve every aspect of your game. 
 
So lace up your boots, get out on the pitch and let’s score some gooooooaaaaaalllssssss!

Ben Lyttleton

Books by Ben Lyttleton

Series by Ben Lyttleton

Football Skills

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