Now that the dust has settled on the soccer World Cup, it is time to ask if there is anything science can tell us about taking a penalty kick. The goal is a lot bigger than the goalkeeper, so it should be easy to score. But so many penalty takers don鈥檛. Is there a well-founded, foolproof way of taking fear, emotion and human error out of the equation and guaranteeing a goal?
Peter Parker, Nottingham, UK