If you are a soccer fan, you will no doubt have heard the term brace being used when a player scores more than one goal in a game.

As any goal is hard to come by when a player scores two that is a great effort. So why exactly do people in soccer call scoring two goals a brace?

And not say the player scored two goals? In this article, we will tell you everything you need to know when it comes to scoring a brace, why it is called a brace and how to get better at scoring a brace.

The term “brace” in soccer refers to when a single player in a soccer match scores two goals. It is not a phrase that you hear often as goals are hard to come by at the best of times so when a player does score two goals it is called a brace by the commentator.

What is a brace in soccer?

 

As we mentioned above a brace in soccer is when a single player scores two goals in a match. A brace precedes a hat-trick in soccer and that is where a single player manages to score three goals in a match.

As an example, if Cristiano Ronaldo scores two goals in a match he has scored a brace.

It will not matter if the goals have been scored in the first half of the second half, as long as the player has scored two goals then it can be called a brace.

The term brace is normally used in English soccer and is usually used by commentators in the English Premier League. The actual word “Brace” is from the Old English language and a brace can mean a “pair of things or something.

For more clarity, if we talk about hunting, a person might shoot down a brace of birds and that means that the person shot down two birds. This can translate to the soccer pitch too where players are essentially “hunting” for goals.

The term brace goes as far back as the 19th century and that is where the term brace has become increasingly popular.

As the years went by, the phrase was cut short and just the single word brace and that means that a single player has scored a pair or two goals.

The terms hat-trick and brace are the most used phrases in soccer and in particular in England and they are used to describe a player scoring multiple goals in a match and the more goals a player scores, there are less used terms that are hardly ever heard.

Why is scoring two goals in soccer called a brace?

To put it in a simpler term, the word brace is used in soccer to describe when a soccer player has scored two goals in a single match.

The term is an English word, and it means a “pair” of something. As we mentioned above it comes from a hunting background as people were hunting animals and birds and in soccer, players are “hunting” for goals.

It is a hugely popular term that was used in football over several years because the players on the pitch were hunting for goals. The term brace is used when a soccer player manages to score two goals in a soccer match.

How to get better at scoring a brace

 

The best way to get better at scoring a brace in soccer is to train on your shooting and your finishing as that is what it will ultimately come down to.

If you are a poor shooter or finisher, then chances are we the opportunity presents itself to you in a match situation that you will either miss the target or the goalkeeper will save it. 

Now every chance in soccer has a little bit of luck to it but for the most part, it just comes down to practice and on game day, being in the right place at the right time.

Depending on what position you play will decide on what your chances are of scoring a brace. If you are a defender, chances are that it is going to be hard for you to score one goal, let alone two, and your best bet will most likely come from a corner kick.

For midfielders and forwards, more chances present themselves simply because they are further up the pitch and are closer to the goal and this is where practicing your shooting and finishing can be hugely beneficial.

If you constantly practice shooting a certain distance and angle, when the chance comes in a similar match, naturally you will be more confident about the score because you have been in that situation before.

Now just because you practice regularly does not mean that you are guaranteed to score in every situation, but it certainly does help.

The technique also plays a huge part in it as well as how you shoot can affect your ability to score goals because if you have a bad technique then you might not connect with the ball properly and that can result in shooting wide of the goal.

Whereas a good technique can mean a much better contact with the ball and the chances of you scoring go up.

As we know goals are hard to come by and to score one, let alone two is hard enough and that is why practicing is crucial as during a game as a midfielder or forward, you might only get two or three chances for the match.

If you manage to score two of them you will have scored a brace and that will go a long way in helping your team win the game. 

So overall the only way to get better at scoring a brace in soccer is to constantly practice your shooting and your finishing to give you the best chance at scoring goals.