Saving a Penalty in top 10 hardest of all sporting feats

Picture the scene, your job is to stop a ball 9 inches in diameter travelling up to 60mph hitting a goal that is 192 square feet...oh, and you have to do it in under 0.26 seconds.

Studies have been conducted to show this is the level of difficulty top goalkeepers face in penalty situations. No wonder USA Today's coverage of the Top 10 most difficult sporting feats included 'saving a penalty' at number 9.

So how to you actually save a penalty?

Ask 10 keepers that question and you may get 10 different answers. So rather than giving a definitive answer (as there really isn't any), here are some pointers to consider -

• Younger players strike the ball with less pace and less accuracy. Therefore a younger keeper may benefit by waiting until the ball has been struck and reacting to the ball's flight
• Spotting common patterns in the penalty taker's run up may give clues as to the side he is aiming for
• Many professional keepers track the penalty taker's history, identifying patterns to use to their advantage (Ben Foster had these recorded onto his iPod during the 08/09 season)

It's important to note, having luck on your side goes a long way, as demonstrated in the video below. Goalkeeper gives away a penalty & receives a red card, only for his outfield team mate to save it!!