There is a multitude of new features in EA's new FIFA 12, but one of the things that hasn't changed is the importance of penalty kicks. Here's a FIFA 12 penalty tutorial to explain how you can score the perfect penalty.
There are three things you need to keep in mind while taking a penalty kick in FIFA 12 i.e composure, placement and power.
1. To take the penalty kick accurately you must stop the oscillating needle on the composure meter by pressing the "B button" when the needle is inside the composed region (green and yellow area). The farther you are from the composed region the more error your shot will have.
2. By keeping hold of the "B button" you can adjust the power of the shot, but holding it down for too long will result in a miss as the ball will most likely fly over the bar. You can also choose to press and hold "RB" (right button) when powering up to take a shot allowing the player to take a finesse shot which has a lower chance of error compared to blasting one past the keeper.
3. To aim your penalty kick away from the keeper you'll need to use the left analog stick. By default you start aiming at the middle of the goal. The moment you press "B button" to start powering up the shot you can use the left analog stick to aim your shot, the longer you hold the left analog stick in any particular direction the farther your shot will go in that direction.
*Note: You can practice the aiming system in the arena by pulling LT (left trigger) while taking a penalty which shows a purple circle where your shot is being aimed at.
Stutter Penalty Kick
You can also take stutter shot in FIFA 12 by pressing the "B button" again while your player is running up to take the penalty kick.
*Note: Stutter shots are less powerful and have added error.
Chip Penalty Kick
Press and hold the "LB button" while you power up the shot to take a cheeky chip shot penalty kick.
*Note: To take the chip shot accurately the you have to stop the oscillating needle of the composure meter inside the green region or you'll give away your intentions of taking a chip shot which makes it easier for the goal keeper.