Write clearly, concisely, and appropriately report on Biomechanical differences in soccer kicking with the preferred and the non-preferred leg.

It is important to achieve a high ball speed in soccer kicking, since this gives the goalkeeper less time to react, thus improving one’s chances of scoring. The instep soccer place kick is one of the most analyzed kicking actions in soccer. It has been shown that the most successful goal scorers are those players who are able to score with both feet. Starosta concluded that the development of left right symmetry in shooting should form part of the preparation of soccer players. Although several studies have described the dynamics of the place kick and the biomechanical determinants that accept the speed of the ball

Address all correspondence to Thomas Bull Andersen, Department of Sport Science, University of Aarhus, Katrinebjergvej 89C, DK-2800 Aarhus, only one study has investigated kinematic differences when kicking for maximum ball speed with the preferred and the non-preferred leg. During the kicking movement, the leg functions as an open kinetic chain. The motion pattern of kicking is generally accepted as a proximal-to-distal sequence of segmental motions in which the proximal segment (the thigh) initiates the movement, causing the more distal segment (shank and foot) to lag behind, followed by a deceleration of the proximal segment and an acceleration of the more distal segment just before impact. During the kicking movement, the segments of the kicking leg move by rotating about an imaginary axis of rotation that passes through the proximal joint of the segment. The motion of rotating body segments in kicking can be described in terms of angular position, velocity and acceleration. The linear velocity of the centre of mass of the rotating foot hitting the ball is directly proportional to the product of the angular velocity and the radius of rotation of the consecutive body segments and the linear velocity of the hip joint.

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The Biomechanical Differences between the Preferred and the NonPreferred Leg This is a study that was done to examine the speed at which footballers release the ball at the maximal instep kicking usin... View the full answer