Mats Hummels conceded the penalties Germany took in their shoot-out win over Italy on Saturday were not typical of the national team.
The world champions earned a place in the semi-finals of Euro 2016 by winning 6-5 on penalties after extra time had ended with the teams locked at 1-1.
Thomas Muller, Mesut Ozil and Bastian Schweinsteiger all missed for Germany, with Simone Zaza, Graziano Pelle Leonardo Bonucci unsuccessful for Italy before Matteo Darmian's failure allowed Jonas Hector to seal victory in an epic shootout.
But centre-back Hummels, who will miss the semi-finals due to suspension, told BBC World Service: "We didn't shoot like a German team.
"You won't believe it, but yes we [practised penalties] in training a few times.
"I was very happy that I did because I worked out which shot would work well for me today [Saturday] - because it worked well yesterday.
"It's hard to simulate the real situation."
