Is power the next question?
Once the laces are landing, a short drill for adding distance a pace at a time.
See the distance drillChild Kicks Football With Their Toes: How to Fix It
Skill-Building Games
A toe-poke hurts the toe before it ever moves the ball.
If your child kicks the football with their toes, the answer is a different place on the foot, a calm five-step progression and a simple rule to stop at the first sting.
For a long time I put a toe-poke down to a lack of effort, until a kick in socks across the patio ended in a hop, a yelp and a toe that was fine within the minute. The ball had moved about a metre. The poking was never about effort, and that was one family's afternoon, not evidence.
Five usual suspects
Why a Child Kicks the Football With Their Toes
Toe-poking is very common in beginners. Coaching sources describe it as the easiest way to make contact, because the toes lead the foot into the ball at the end of a stride (a youth coaching site's kicking steps, a podiatry practice's kicking advice).
England Football calls the toe poke "typically discouraged" and describes the laces as the top of the foot, popular with younger players (England Football's article on finishing techniques). Here are the usual causes.
- The approach. Running straight at the ball from directly behind leaves no room for the leg to swing (a podiatry practice's kicking advice).
- The standing foot. Landing behind or past the ball leaves the toe as the only part that can reach it (a youth coaching site's kicking steps).
- The eyes. Looking at the goal or at the grown-up, not at the ball.
- The ball. One that is too big, too hard or over-inflated can make the foot flinch. That is my reasoning, not a finding. To check the size, see what size football for kids.
- Footwear and ground. Shoes with no room beyond the longest toe, or hard ground with no cushion, make a poke sting. The fit point comes from an NHS trust leaflet (an NHS trust's foot care leaflet for children). For fit and studs, see choosing first football boots.
These are the usual coaching explanations and my own reasoning. None has been tested as a cause in children aged 5 to 9.
If the real problem is power, see how to kick harder for longer passes. Toe taps are a different thing: for the on-the-spot drill, see ball mastery toe taps.
Watch the foot, not the ball
How to Stop Toe Poking the Ball: The Tell-Tale Checklist
Watch three or four kicks from the side and tick what you see. The checklist is my spotting tool, built from how coaches describe the poke (a youth coaching site's kicking steps, a coaching article on the toe poke, a podiatry practice's kicking advice), and it has not been tested.
| What you see | What it usually points to | First thing to try |
|---|---|---|
| The standing foot lands behind the ball | The leg has to reach, so the toe arrives first. | Put a marker, such as a glove or a sock, a hand's width beside the ball and ask for the standing foot to land on it. |
| The toes lead the foot into the ball and the ankle is loose | The foot swings through like a walking step, so the toe arrives first. | Say "toes down at the grass" and check the foot is firm before the swing. |
| The eyes are on the goal or the grown-up | The foot goes where the eyes go, not to the ball. | Say "watch the ball until your foot has gone through it". |
| The ball squirts off at an odd angle or dribbles away with a click | A small contact point, which is what a toe gives. | Go back to a stopped ball and a short, gentle swing (coaching article). |
| A hop, a wince or a shaken foot after the kick | The toe took the hit. | Stop for the day, check the toes and read the foot-care section below. |
Pick one tell per session, not five, because a child who is told five things stops kicking. No tell on this list is a validated sign.
Gentle, in order
Teach the Laces Kick to a Child in Five Steps
The order is the widely taught coaching sequence: a stopped ball, the standing foot beside it, toes down and a follow-through (a youth coaching site's kicking steps, a podiatry practice's kicking advice). It is a sensible default for a grown-up at home, not a tested method (a review of the biomechanics of kicking, a video study of 255 children's kicking).
England Football describes the laces as the top of the foot (England Football's article on finishing techniques).
- 1
A stopped ball on soft ground. Put a size-appropriate ball on grass, a few paces from a wall or fence, with the grown-up out of the line of the kick. A stopped ball removes the guessing, so the only job is where the foot lands.
- 2
The standing foot beside the ball. A hand's width away, pointing at the target. "Beside it, not behind it" is the whole step (coaching site).
- 3
Toes down, ankle firm. Ask the kicking foot to point its toes at the grass and stay firm, like a stiff paddle. A floppy foot gives a toe-poke.
- 4
Contact on the laces. Aim the laces at the middle of the ball for ten gentle tries. Say "laces" and not "don't poke". Any contact that does not sting counts.
- 5
Follow through and land. Let the foot swing on toward the target and land on it, rather than stopping on the ball. Ten tries, then stop, even if it was going well.
"Shall we try laces on this one? Foot beside it, toes down."
If a toe stings at any step, stop for the day and go to the foot-care section.
Rolling ball
Once step 5 is clean on a stopped ball, roll it slowly from three paces and ask your child to meet it with the laces. If the poke returns, you have gone too fast.
Target
Add a target a few paces away, such as two shoes as a gate or a towel on the lawn. For more target ideas, see the aimed shooting technique game. Keep it a gentle strike, not a hard one.
Back one step
If the toes come back, go back one step for the rest of the session. That is how this skill goes, not a failure.
No study shows how many tries it takes. Ten is my number, chosen to stop before the foot gets tired. For a step toward passing, try the simple passing game for beginners, which uses the inside of the foot, a different contact.
Easy to drop
Instep Kick for Beginners: Common Mistakes and Fixes
England Football uses "laces" for the top of the foot and "instep" for the part between the laces and the side (England Football). In a garden the difference is small, so "laces" is the word to use, and the instep kick is the same family.
- Running straight at it from behind. Try a short, slightly angled approach so the leg has room to swing (podiatry practice).
- Saying "don't use your toe". Name what to do instead: "foot beside it, toes down".
- Chasing power too soon. A hard swing with a poor contact point is what bruises toes, so keep it gentle until the contact is clean. If power is the next question, see how to kick harder for longer passes.
- Practising on a hard patio or in socks. The toe has no cushion. Use grass, with shoes or boots on.
- Correcting everything at once. One tell per session, as in the checklist above.
Some coaches suggest taking the boots off so a toe-poke stings, but a sting is exactly what you are trying to avoid, so keep the shoes on.
Sore toes, plainly
My Child Hurts Their Toes Kicking the Ball: What to Do
A toe that stings for a moment and settles is common. Anything else is worth taking seriously, and this is not medical advice.
| What you see | What to do |
|---|---|
| It stings for a moment, settles and looks normal | Stop for the day, check the toes later and keep the shoes on next time. That is plain advice, not an NHS rule. |
| The toe is bruised, swollen or hard to walk on | The toe symptoms listed on the NHS page on broken toes include these. For a child it says not to try to treat the toe yourself and to go to an urgent treatment centre or A&E. |
| The toe points at an odd angle, a bone shows, or there is numbness or tingling | A&E for anyone, as the NHS lists these signs (the NHS). |
| Severe toe pain, or a bad cut or wound on the toe | For a child, treat this as the rows above: A&E or an urgent treatment centre. You can also call NHS 111 for advice (the NHS). |
| Pain that keeps coming back, limping, or your child stops wanting to play | See your GP or a podiatrist. NHS trust pages list a child who cannot play in the normal way as a reason to see a doctor (an NHS trust's foot care leaflet for children, an NHS podiatry page on childhood foot problems). |
| A dark nail after a kick | Ask your GP or a podiatrist to look. A trust leaflet notes that open-toed footwear may ease discomfort from a black toenail (the same leaflet). |
On fit, a trust leaflet advises room to wiggle the toes and measuring feet every six weeks, rather than buying shoes too big (NHS trust leaflet). For checking fit, see choosing first football boots.
These NHS pages are general and not about football, and they do not tell a sore toe from a broken one. If you are unsure, ask for help.
What is known and what is not
What the Research Says About Kicking
A review of the biomechanics of kicking covers approach, the standing leg, foot-ball contact and the ball's launch, mostly from adult players. It has no toe-poke comparison and says nothing about teaching a child, and only the abstract was read.
A video study of 255 children's kicking found that kicking components generally became more advanced with age in children aged 4 to 11, each kicking five times as hard as they could. It was a cross-sectional study of maximal kicks, not a teaching trial, and its ball-contact component did not fit the model. Only the summary was read.
England Football's article on finishing techniques calls the toe poke "typically discouraged" and the laces popular with younger players. It is a finishing article for general players, with no teaching steps and nothing on injury.
Coaching sources (one, two) and a podiatry blog (three) teach the stopped ball, the standing foot beside the ball and toes down, and warn that toe kicking carries a risk of injury. That is opinion with no cited evidence, mostly from US youth soccer.
I could find no study of toe-poking in children, and none that tests a laces-kick drill, so I would rather call this a sensible default than say it is proven. For what a sore toe needs, the NHS is the place to check, starting with the NHS page on broken toes.
Quick answers
Common Questions About Kicking With the Toes
Why does my child kick the football with their toes?
It is the easiest contact: the toes lead the foot at the end of a stride, and many beginners run straight at the ball (a youth coaching site's kicking steps, a podiatry practice's kicking advice). These are common coaching explanations, not tested causes.
How do I teach my child to kick with their laces?
Use a stopped ball, the standing foot beside it, toes down, contact on the laces and a follow-through, ten gentle tries at a time (coaching site, podiatry practice). It is a widely taught order, not a proven method for this age.
Is it bad to kick a football with your toes?
England Football describes the toe poke as typically discouraged (England Football), and a podiatry blog says it carries a risk of injury (podiatry blog). A stinging toe is the reason to stop and check.
What is an instep kick for beginners?
In a garden it is much the same as the laces kick: the foot meets the ball on its upper part, not the tip. Start with the laces steps above and keep it gentle.
Should I see a doctor if my child's toe hurts after kicking?
If the toe is bruised, swollen, will not take weight or looks bent, the NHS says go to A&E or an urgent treatment centre for a child, and do not treat it yourself (the NHS). Pain that keeps returning is a reason to ask a GP or podiatrist (trust leaflet, podiatry page).
What age should a child be able to kick with their laces?
There is no single age. A video study of 255 children's kicking found kicking generally becomes more advanced with age, but it did not test a teaching method.
Should my child kick barefoot to stop toe-poking?
No. A sting is what you are trying to avoid, and bare feet on a patio or hard ground raise the risk. Keep shoes or boots on and use grass.
Keep going
Where to Go From Here
Three places to go next, depending on what you saw. Once the toes are sorted, how to teach a child to pass with the inside of the foot is the next skill.
Need to check the boots?
Fit, studs and surface, in one short guide.
See the boot guideWant more skill games?
More short, calm games for one skill at a time.
See Skill-Building GamesTonight's five minutes
Ten gentle laces kicks, then stop.
Put a soft ball on the lawn, mark a hand's width beside it and ask for toes down. Ten gentle tries on the laces, then stop, whatever the result, and check the toes.