~Kick Off 2

A collection of playing tips....


~Chipping The Ball (Defensively)

Chipping the ball can help immensly when defending or attacking. 
Run with the ball up or down the pitch now push the joystick in the 
opposite direction & press fire. The ball should fly into the other 
half. 

Example, you are attacking up field & your opponent has the ball in 
your half (down pitch). As soon as you gain possesion run up pitch & 
hit fire & down, the ball will now be chipped far into your opponents 
half. You can chip the ball in any direction just remember to push 
the joystick in the opposite direction that you face & press fire. 
   
  
~Dribbling

You must first learn to dribble, how do you expect to score when you
can`t get possesion of the ball? There is no simple way to learn how
to dribble, you have to practice. Try running with the ball then 
turning in the opposite direction, take the ball to the left or right 
wing and run diagonally with the ball, try running in circles with 
the ball, run left or right then immediatly run up or down etc, etc. 
Basically be inventive. 

  
~Passing

Chipping is a good way to pass as the ball is so high in the air, you 
have time to run towards it before it lands. Blasting the ball 
upfield is only recommended if you can time your runs to perfection.

Pass in the box & try to make the keeper come off his line then 
shoot. To pass hold down fire just before you make contact with the 
ball, your player will hold the  ball then move him towards the 
direction of the player you want to pass to & let go. 

Try holding the ball just before you reach the box, if you get fouled 
then you are given a free kick! 
  
Try holding the ball inside the box & if you get fouled then you get 
a penalty! Hold the ball in the box, when the keeper comes out, let 
go of fire!

Holding the ball for penalties & free kicks is recommende if you are
playing someone that is crap & likely to foul alot.


~Defending

Never try to slide tackle in the box unless your timing is brilliant.
The best way to defend is to try & dribble the ball away from your 
opponent then chip it away from your goal or if you`re feeling 
confident make a run into your opponents half. Dribbling tha ball 
away from opponents is better than using a sliding tackle, if you use 
a slide tackle then you are on the floor, whereas when you are good 
at dribbling, you can take the ball off your opponent and leave him 
standing or chewing grass!

 
~After Touch

After touch is probaly what makes Kick Off 2 so good. By using after
touch you can chip & bend the ball.

Position the ball to the extreme of either side of your foot. Run 
straight at goal & when you are in the box just before you reach the 
dot hit fire & either left or right.

For example, put the ball towards the far right of your foot. Run at 
goal & hit fire  & right, the ball will swerve far right, if you hit 
fire & left, the ball will swerve far left. Decide where to place the 
ball depending upon where the keeper is standing. 

Another way to score goals by using after touch is to swerve the ball
while you run from left to right or vica versa. Run towards the edge
of your opponents goal line, make sure you don`t take the ball out of
play, position the ball at the extreme of your left or right foot 
then press diagonally towards the direction of goal & hit fire.

Example. Run up pitch towards your opponents goal, You are on the 
left wing. Before the goal line, run towards the goal (right) & 
position the ball to the far left of your foot. Hit fire & right 
diagonally up about an inch away from goal. The ball should swerve 
towards the goal.

Probably the hardest thing to master is the diagonal curl. Run 
diagonally towards goal. When you are in the box hit fire & 
diagonally towards the goal.

Example : You are attacking down pitch. Run diagonally towards goal 
from the left. When you are in the box, hit fire & diagonally down 
towards the goal, you may notice that the ball curls slightly. Always 
try to aim for the top corner. You will find that the ball may 
ricochet in off the post. 
  

~Free Kicks

You have a free kick up pitch towards your opponents goal, about 
30 yds away, & dead centre on goal. Tap the button for a second, let 
go of fire, then push the joystick from diagonally far left to 
diagonally far right.  Let go just after you make contact. The ball 
should bend viciously & dip.  Pushing diagonally dips the ball. The 
longer you hold down fire, the more powerful your shot will be. Free 
kicks are probably the hardest to master so be patient. The only way 
to practice free kicks is to play in 2 player mode & set the 2nd 
players joystick on auto fire. If you haven`t got an auto fire 
joystick then buy one or get a mate to foul you! 
  
  
~Penalties

When the arrow is dead centre hit the button hard for a split second, 
as soon as you hit the button let go.

There is no easy way to save penaltiesthat bullshit about replaying 
a penalty before it`s taken doesn`t work, there is no way to predict 
where your opponent will place the ball but it`s best to try & dive 
short left or right (diagonally down & left or right if your opponent 
is shooting down pitch), or just stay in the centre & hit fire & up 
or down (depends where opponent is attacking).

  
~Headers

You can only head the ball after it has been chipped. To chip the 
ball a short distance run one way and push the joystick in the 
opposite direction very fast. 
 
Example. You are attcking upfield. Run upfield, when you  are 1.5 
inches away from the goal push down very quickly. Continue running 
upfiled. When the ball bounces over the keeper, try to head the ball 
into goal.  
  
It`s useful to chip the ball a short distance left or right when you 
are near goal as you can get a player to run onto your cross & 
hopefully smash the ball into the net. Run left then push right very 
fast, the ball will be chipped left, now try to get a plyer to head 
the ball. 


~Chipping The Ball (Attack)

Whenever you get kick off you have a golden opportunity to score. 
First I will describe how to chip from the half way line and score. 
You are scoring upfield. Run up the pitch with the ball, make sure 
the ball is dead centre of both of your feet. When you reach the end 
of the semi-circle of the half way line push the joystick down & 
press fire the ball should fly over towards your opponents goal. It 
takes a lot of practice but it`s worth it. You may get kick off & 
within seconds you could be 1-0 up! If your opponent scores you can 
equalize immediately!  

It is also possible to score by chipping the ball diagonally. Run 
close to the wing about 1/2 inch past the half way line, start 
running diagonally towards the goal &  push in the opposite direction 
that you face & press fire.

Example, you are attacking down pitch. Run as close to the left wing 
as possible, turn diagonally just past the half way line push 
diagonally to the opposite direction you face (top left) and hit fire, 
the ball will be chipped diagonally towards the goal. 

After you have mastered both these methods of chipping the ball, try 
to chip the ball from a shorter distance, chip the ball in the same 
way but don`t push the joystick & hit fire with as much force. 
   
To do a curled chip, place the ball on the extreme left or right of 
your foot then push diagonally left or right in the opposite 
direction & hit fire. 

Example, you want to do a curled chip when the ball is on the far 
left of your foot. You are running down field. Push down diagonally 
towards the left & hit fire. The ball will fly high in the air, 
curling right. 


~Taking On The Keeper

When you are brilliant at dribbling, run diagonally towards your
opponents goal & when the keeper comes off his line shoot diagonally
or curl diagonally. Another way to do this is to let the ball run, 
when the keeper runs out off his line run & blast the ball towards 
goal.  This method of attack requires timing more than anything else.

  
~Tactics

Select 4-2-4. If this isn`t working out after 2 minutes (you aren`t 
having much attacking play) then switch to 4-4-2. 4-3-3 isn`t very 
usefull & I only advise 5-3-2 is you are getting hammered (not that 
it will help much!). If your opponent scores or you get kick off, 
switch to 4-2-4 & try to chip from the half way line. 

  
~Conclusion

Kick Off 2 is difficult to master, I have made this player`s guide 
after nearly 18 months of experience! Always develop skills in 
practice mode with after touch on at international level. Practice 
for 10 mins then play in a match. Remember to be inventive.



~MORE TIPS.........


~STRUT YOUR LOB (OOH!)

The Long Ball is the best method of defeating the computer oppenent. 
Run straight up the pitch after you've kicked off until your 
centre-forward is on the rim of the circle. Then pull back on the 
joystick and press fire to perform a hard lob (yum yum). Eight times 
out of ten you'll score a goal!!  If the computer or another human 
opponent tries the same trick, then you must foul his striker before 
he makes it to the perfect goal-scoring position. the computer always 
plays a superb passing game, os never try to beat it using any 
roundabout methods unless, of course, you're trying to run rings 
around the goalie. 


~APPLY THE AFTERTOUCH

This isn't an option, it's essential. Aftertouch is the icing on the 
cake as far as Kick Off 2 is concerned. Apply aftertouch as soon as 
you've kicked the ball. That way, you'll get more effect. Running in 
at a diagonal path then applying aftertouch inside the near-post is 
lethal. Experts may like to apply aftertouch to long passes.


~FREE KICK ADVICE

Few Kick Off 2 players seem able to handle Free Kicks, but they're 
very simple to master:

Step 1. Hold the firebutton down for about one second.
Step 2. On releasing the firebutton, hold the joystick to the left or
	right.
Step 3. Once the ball has been kicked, push the joystick back the 
	opposite way. You can also try this just before you kick the 
	ball. If you can manage it, give the ball some dip.


~MAKING THE SAVE

When the opposition is lining up their penalty shot, move your 
joystick left and right to follow the arrow. Hopefully your goalie 
will go in the right direction when the shot is finally made.


~GENERAL TIPS

If you're in an impossible shooting position it's best to pass, 
rather than try to be a hero.

For a REALLY tough game, play against the computer on International 
Level whilst on a soggy pitch and without aftertouch. Difficult huh?

Use all available tactics. Players who don't bother with tactics are
missing out on a big part of the game.

Practice makes perfect!



~YET MORE TIPS......



If you've never played KICK OFF, the 25% and 50% play modes in KICK 
OFF 2 are invaluable training aids.  At quarter speed you get all the 
time in the world to concentrate on taking free kicks and work out 
the finer point of Aftertouch.  At half speed, you can play a little 
bit more and so practise evading defenders and so on.  The more you 
practise, the better you will be.

Newcomers are best advised to play a "long ball game".  Welly it up 
the field at full power as much as you can - the computer works out 
the fine angle of the shot for you, allowing you to move the ball 
about the pitch easily.  There's more to be had from running with the
ball and making intricate passes, but that's a much more advanced 
skill.

SET-PIECE free kicks are worthless unless you know what you are 
doing.  An inexperienced player is likely to end up fumbling for the 
ball, and the result is often a disaster.  Try this simple technique 
for sending the ball round the defensive wall and into the net.  
Before the shot, give a quick tap of the fire button, then hold the 
joystick to the left or right (depending on which way round the wall 
the ball has to go).  Then at the exact moment that you make contact 
with the ball, yank the joystick over to the other side.  It won't go
in the net every time, but it will give the 'keeper something to 
worry about.

IN A CORNER situation, try to keep the ball away from the goal-line.
Unless you play with strong winds, the keeper plucks it out of the 
air on many occasions.  Some tactics place a man on the penalty spot, 
and if you can get the ball to him, an Aftertouch shot from there is 
almost unbeatable.  The low grass-cutter shots are the fastest, and 
if well placed can be dangerous, but there's a greater risk of it 
being intercepted by a vigilant defender.

THE NORMAL pitch is best for most players, but circumstances often 
demand that you play on a less agreeable surface.  The worst of the 
lot is the soggy pitch.  It stops the ball bouncing, which means you 
have to kick-and-run a lot more - and that makes tired players.  At 
the other end of the scale, the Plastic pitch is a real nightmare to 
defend on as the ball often bounces uncontrollably.  Have a few 
practise sessions on them all so you are familiar with the ups and 
downs of each.

GOAL-SCORINGis a fine art, although you only need a couple of decent
techniques to hammer them home on a regular basis.  The most popular
technique is simply run straight up the middle of the pitch and shoot 
with strong Aftertouch as you come into the penalty area.  Providing 
you time it right, this technique has a fairly decent success rate.  
A slightly more complicated version, which has you running into the 
goal diagonally and shooting (with Aftertouch) from just outside the 
six yard box is even more deadly.  The use of Aftertouch is vital, 
and you need to get it exactly right - the faster you apply the touch 
after shooting, the more the ball bends.  If you are really accurate, 
you can bend the ball in from halfway down the pitch!

