How to score more goals in soccer: Scientists find ‘sweet spot’ for perfecting various kicks
TSUKUBA, Japan — Soccer is the most popular sport in 57 countries around the world. Outside of the US, the sport is of course referred to as football. From the World Cup to the Champions League, the sport brings big business, and star players earn some of the highest salaries seen in all of professional athletics. However, scoring goals is not an easy task, as evidenced by the low final scores in most football matches. So what’s the secret to more soccer goals? Perhaps science has the answer.
New research from Tsukuba University analyzes how great soccer players kick the ball to achieve the desired trajectory. Study authors say factors like swing angle and foot alignment can be adjusted to control the contact point and angle of attack between foot and ball. This creates different types of shots in soccer – such as straight shots, curve shots, and knuckleball shots.
A strong understanding of how to adjust foot alignment and momentum when kicking a soccer ball can help players gain a competitive advantage and improved scoring chances.
“The meeting point on the ball is crucial. For a straight trajectory, aim close to center, otherwise aim off-center — for a curved trajectory, aim closer to the near side of the ball and for a knuckleball, aim closer to the far side,” first study author Karol Kimachi says in a statement.
“Swing” is the key to steering a soccer ball
The distance to the point of impact from the center of gravity of the foot affects ball rotation to create either straight, curved, or unpredictable ball trajectories. However, it is the angle of swing of the foot to the ball that determines where (i.e. location of contact point) and how (i.e. angle of attack) the foot strikes.
“Using high-speed 3D motion capture technology, we confirmed that the correlation between the angle of the swing vector and the resulting ball rotation was high,” explains lead author Professor Masao Nakayama. “Then we characterized the interactions between foot and ball in straight, curved and ankle ball kicks.”
The study notes that all three types of kicks should be performed with the toes pointing down and the foot rotated outwards. That is, for arched and ankle-ball trajectories, the foot should be everted slightly less; This allows the inside of the foot to touch the ball. Meanwhile, for a straight trajectory, the top of the instep of the foot should be in contact with the ball.
Coaches working with players looking to improve their goal-scoring ability should focus on the desired outcome, say the study authors. For example: “On a cornering shot, shoot from a wide inside angle and flex your foot so your point of impact (first point of contact) is off-center on the ball.”
While this work focused specifically on professional football, the researchers believe the findings may help improve skills in football development programs as well as across other sports.
The study was published in Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part P: Journal of Sports Engineering and Technology.