In this free kick tutorial for FIFA 20, we show you how to shoot the new free kicks into the goal. You can immediately replicate and practice the aiming tips. Because free kicks with top spin, side spin, and knuckleball require training. We also provide the top free kick takers.
What’s new with free kicks in FIFA 20? Standard situations such as free kicks are executed significantly differently in FIFA 20 than in FIFA 19. FIFA veterans will need to relearn for the new season if they want to continue scoring dangerous free kicks.
From now on, you will be presented with a target aid in the form of a white circle for free kicks, which you can use to determine where the shot should go. Additionally, the right stick can be used to set whether and what spin you want to give the ball. There are different spin animations that influence the trajectory of the ball.
How do free kicks work in FIFA 20? Free kicks now basically consist of 6 sub-steps.
This is how you shoot free kicks in FIFA 20:
- Choose free kick takers
- Determine run-up
- Aim with the white circle (indicator) and determine direction and height
- Charge shot power
- Define spin with the right stick during the run-up
- If you want, you can also do a timed finishing.
In the video by bPartGaming, these steps are demonstrated in motion, and we will explain them in detail below and cover the spins:
Tips on how to aim and practice free kicks in FIFA 20
Step 1 – This is how to choose the free kick taker: Press the R2 or RT button during the free kick and select a player who has good attributes for shot power, free kick accuracy, and curve. Also, pay attention to whether they are left-footed or right-footed.
Step 2 – This is how to determine the run-up: In FIFA 19, you had the freedom to position your players however you wanted. In FIFA 20, however, there are only three fixed run-up positions: normal, straight, and diagonal from the side. You change the position by moving the right stick left or right.
Step 3 – Aiming: With a white circle (the indicator), you determine where the ball should fly. You move the indicator with the left stick. Without spin, the ball will fly directly where you aim. If you want to give the ball spin, you must set the indicator significantly next to the goal so that the ball curves nicely into it. Where you need to aim for a spin free kick depends on many factors, such as the free kick position, strong foot, and player stats:
Step 4 – Charge shot power: Now charge the shot power by holding the shoot button for a short while. You can see the shot power gauge at the bottom left, just over 2 bars is often enough:
Keep in mind: The more power you charge, the greater the spread. This means that accuracy decreases and it becomes less likely that the ball will land where you want it to. The spread is shown with a gray, transparent field around the white indicator:
In earlier FIFA editions, you determined how high the ball flies with a high shot power. This is no longer the case in FIFA 20. You set the height with the indicator.
Step 5 – Select spin: After the shot power is selected, the player runs up. Now you can also give the ball some spin by moving the right stick in certain ways (see below). You must ensure that you execute the movements cleanly and quickly.
For the top spin, for example, you move the stick down and then up. If you drift a little to the left or right, the top spin will not be executed well. Also, you don’t have much time to input the spin movements. And the faster you do it, the more spin the ball will have.
How well you executed the spin input can be seen afterwards in the indicator. A white arrow will be displayed that indicates the direction in which the ball is spinning:
Step 6 – Timed Finishing (Optional): If you play with the “Timed Finishing”, you can increase your chances of a successful free kick. Press the shoot button again when the gauge is in the green area or when the ball contact is about to occur. This tightens the spread, and the white field around the indicator becomes smaller:
If everything fits together, you can rejoice in a free kick goal and perform one of the new FIFA 20 celebrations.
Learn how to take penalties in FIFA 20 here.
What you need to know about spins – Top Spin, Side Spin, Knuckleball
These are the spins in FIFA 20:
- Top Spin
- Side Spin
- Mixed
- Knuckleball
In this graphic, you can see how to execute the spin variants with the right stick:
Tips from bPartGaming:
- For the top spin, you can aim above the goal with the indicator, as the ball drops quickly and sharply. Use a normal or straight run-up.
- You can not only spin the side spin to the right as shown in the above GIF, but also to the left (best with a left-footed player). Place the indicator accordingly to the right or left of the goal (as in the above example images). Use a normal or diagonal run-up.
- The side spin also works with the outside of the foot by choosing the straight run-up and spinning the stick to the right, for example, with a left-footed player.
- For the knuckleball, you must move the stick quickly down, up, and back down without deviating to the left or right. Aim precisely with the indicator where you want the ball to go. Choose a normal or a straight run-up.
The spin free kicks are more effective than non-spin free kicks. Additionally, they provide a dangerous chance on goal, even if the opponent jumps high in the wall.
Shooting flat free kicks: For this, you only need to aim flat with the indicator.
Power free kick: The power free kick is still possible. To do this, hold L1 while shooting and aim directly at the goal. It cannot be combined with spin variants.
The best free kick takers in FIFA 20 – Top 10
The players with the highest free kick accuracy: Free kick takers need to combine certain values to reliably score free kick goals, such as shot power, curve, and especially free kick accuracy. The latter value is highest for these players in FIFA 20:
- Lionel Messi: 94 free kick accuracy (94 overall rating)
- Sebastian Giovinco: 92 free kick accuracy (81 overall rating)
- Miralem Pjanic: 92 (86)
- Enis Bardhi: 91 (78)
- Robert Skov: 90 (75)
- Hakan Calhanoglu: 90 (80)
- Parejo: 90 (86)
- James Ward-Prowse: 89 (79)
- Marvin Plattenhardt: 89 (77)
- Angel Di Maria: 88 (86)
There are also several other players with 88 free kick accuracy, such as Dybala or Depay.
Many icons also have strong free kick accuracy values. However, we will exclude them here.
The 10 best free kick takers in the Bundesliga
Bundesliga players with the best free kick accuracy:
- Robert Skov: 90 free kick accuracy (75 overall rating)
- Marvin Plattenhardt: 89 (77)
- Coutinho: 86 (86)
- Marco Reus: 86 (88)
- Paco Alcacer: 85 (83)
- Robert Lewandowski: 85 (89)
- Jonathan Schmid: 85 (75)
- David Alaba: 85 (85)
- Raphael Guerreiro: 82 (81)
- Konstantinos Stafylidis: 81 (75)
Another free kick accuracy of 81 can also be found in other Bundesliga players, such as Demirbay and Caligiuri.
