Don’t fear the penalty shoot-out. Get the ball past the goal keeper and in the back of the net every time. Are you reading this England?.

With warmer weather on the horizon, we’ve got outdoor pursuits on the mind. Spring sunshine gives us the opportunity to actually enjoy sports in the open air, which means this is the start of kickabout season. To prepare ourselves for the inevitable schedule of prestigious “friendlies”, we asked Dr Ken Bray, author of How To Score: Science And The Beautiful Game, to give us a step-by-step guide to succeeding at the thing all professional players dread most: the penalty shoot-out. Mr Roy Hodgson: take note.

Jog, don’t walk, to the penalty spot. Brisk movement helps calm the nerves and maintain what sports scientists call “psychological arousal”. Just outside the penalty area, slow to a walk and breathe deeply. Pick up the ball, spin it a few times then stamp down on any damage – imaginary or real – around the penalty spot. Place the ball down with care, then make eye contact with the goalie for a second or so. You must stay in control of the psychological encounter: your mantra is “my ball, my penalty”.

The goalie may leave the goal line and approach you to destroy your focus. Don’t be drawn: place your foot on the ball and wait until the ref orders him back to the goal line, as he must. Then go through your “spin the ball, repair the damage routine” as before. Make him wait. Your ball, your penalty.

Walk back to your run-up position and wait for the ref’s whistle. The goalie will be madly cavorting about, but you have to blot this out. Look at the target area of the goal where you intend to place your shot (see step four). Try to visualise the shot you will execute in your mind’s eye. Sports psychologists call this technique “imaging”. It’s a very powerful way of concentrating your focus.

The area of the goal a goalkeeper can cover in a save is defined by their diving envelope (see figure). About 50 per cent of penalties hit inside the envelope are saved. Conversely, 80 per cent of penalties played into the “unsaveable zone” succeed. So your optimum shot should be about shoulder height, played to the goalie’s left or right, as shown in the figure. Avoid those parts of unsaveable zone close to the ground and near the goalposts. Shots in these areas are risky because the margin for error is greater and it’s too easy to drag the ball along the ground, thus losing speed in the shot. A crisp shot with good foot contact from a short, purposeful run-up is what to aim for. “Place with pace” is what you should be thinking.

Deliver the shot you’ve practised, the one you should be “imaging” before the ref blows his whistle for the kick. Why gamble with an unrehearsed shot? Worst of all is a decision to change tactics during the run-up itself: easily the most common cause of missed penalties in the coaching.