There are some football skills that you will have seen plenty of times, used as they are by footballers of all levels up and down the country on a weekly basis. If you want to take your game to another level, however, then one of the things that you can do is to look to learn some lesser-spotted skills, which are used far less often.
We are writing about them all on these pages, giving you a chance to get a sense of the kinds of things that you can use to elevate your game as well as figuring out which ones you already know how to do, with today’s example being the scorpion kick.
What is It?
Ok, if we’re being completely honest then we would have to admit that this isn’t strictly the kind of skill that you will get a chance to use all that often. Often so, if you ever find yourself in a position to use it then you might well want to do so, given how amazing it will look. Sure, there is a chance that it will go wrong and you will end up looking stupid and costing your team a goal, but if it doesn’t then you will not only make a save but also look incredible doing it. The move was first used in popular culture by the Colombian goalkeeper René Higuita during a friendly between his national side and England in 1995.
As the ball came in from distance towards Higuita’s goal, he threw his body forward and his two legs behind him, coming over his head in order to do a double-footed kick off the ball away from the line. Obviously not everyone will be playing in goal, so the opportunity to make a goal-saving move like that one will be present for everyone. The good news is that the scorpion kick itself is a move, also known as the reverse bicycle kick and even the back hammer kick, which can be brought out by everyone. In fact, the Paraguayan forward Arsenio Erico is credited with first doing it back in 1934.
The name of the move tells you everything that you need to know, with the legs of the player performing it resembling a scorpion’s tail. There are also several variations that you can look to, including the standing scorpion kick, the diving scorpion kick and the spinning scorpion kick. Whichever one you opt for, the mechanics are not dissimilar and ask the player to essentially throw one or both legs out in order to connect with the ball whilst it is essentially behind you. Strikers will often look to use the scorpion kick to score a goal, given how it can take defences and goalkeepers by surprise.