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FIFA 20 Shooting Tips: How to master Timed Finishing
Improve your accuracy in front of goal with these timed shooting tips.
Last year’s addition of timed finishing introduced a new method of shooting to the FIFA series, allowing you to increase your goalscoring accuracy through well-timed button presses. And as you’d expect, the popular mechanic is ever-present in FIFA 20.
Truth be told, it was perhaps a little too overpowered in last year’s game, prompting EA Sports to make slight changes for the series’ latest release. That means it’s harder to pull off than ever, but don’t worry – we've got some tips to help you out below.
1. Take advantage of visual aids
Pause the game at any time to customise the Trainer menu
© EA
Timed finishing requires you to set your power as usual, followed by pressing the shoot button just before your player strikes the ball. The indicator above your player will turn a specific colour – red for very early, yellow for slightly early, white for late, and green for perfect timing.
If you’re struggling, try turning on the FIFA Trainer in the settings menu. You can then activate the shooting mechanics indicator, allowing you to see just how close you are to achieving perfect timing. This indicator meter can also be analysed as part of instant replays.
2. Practice using it offline
Stick the CPU on ‘Beginner’ and prepare for target practice!
© EA
Ideally, you don’t want to be trying out timed finishing for the first time in competitive Division Rivals or FUT Champions matches. Instead, spend some time practising the mechanic offline on beginner or amateur difficulty, and work on getting consistent with your timing.
Another way to practice is by playing around with skills challenges. These load up every time you start a game – a great way to hone your skills before matches – and you can find a whole array of shooting-based challenges from the training options in the main menu.
3. Set up your long range shots
Timed finishing is hard to pull off when the ball is at your feet – you need a good run-up or long pass to properly take advantage of it. The new setup touch feature in FIFA 20 can help make this easier, pushing the ball slightly ahead of you in anticipation of a strike.
You can do this by holding R1/RB and holding the right stick in your intended direction. Keep in mind that you’ll need considerable space to pull this off effectively, but doing so will give you more time to build up your timed finishing meter and achieve a perfectly accurate shot.
4. Combine it with free-kicks
Don’t forget to apply spin as well as timing your free-kicks
© EA
The new free-kick system in FIFA 20 is quite different to last year's, allowing you to use the right-stick to apply different types of spin. Timed finishing also works with this, reducing the amount of error and applying additional spin to your shot when pulled off successfully.
It works in the same way – set your power, add spin as necessary, and then press shoot just before your player comes into contact with the ball. The only exception to this rule is in VOLTA (the new street/indoor football mode), which doesn't incorporate timed finishing at all.
5. Remember, it's all about context
Stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo are excellent at timed finishing
© EA
Even if you get the timing down to a tee, there’s no guarantee you’ll score every time with timed finishing. The system takes numerous factors into account, including how difficult the shot is, the tightness of the angle you’re shooting from, and additional contextual elements.
And of course, much of it relates to how skilled your player is at scoring goals. The better their shooting attributes (finishing, long shots, volleys, etc), the more forgiving the timing system typically proves, making it easier to hit the net on a consistent basis with star names.
