It's Not A Lottery: The Art and Science of Penalty Kicks

There is perhaps no greater theater in all of sports than a penalty kick shootout at the World Cup. Players take turns walking into the spotlight with millions, if not billions of people around the world watching them, and engage in a high-stakes battle of skill and nerves with the goalkeeper. Score, and you are cheered -- miss, and your legacy might forever be tainted. And yet, despite the huge importance of shootouts, many coaches over the years have simply shrugged their shoulders and referred to them as lotteries. Soccer writer and long-suffering England fan Ben Lyttleton, who has written a book about penalty kicks, joins us today to dispel the notion that shootouts are a simple game of chance, and to explain the fascinating science and psychology of soccer's ultimate showdown.

Ben Lyttleton's book about penalty kicks:

https://www.amazon.com/Twelve-Yards-Psychology-Perfect-Penalty/dp/0143127306/

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