A comparison of kicking accuracy for elite rugby players and a robotic kicker

Abstract

This work reports the average place kicking accuracy as a function of field position for players in the last two Rugby World Cup competitions and compares this accuracy with that of a robotic kicker.Human kicker angular standard deviation varies from 2.1 to 7.0 degrees over kicking distances from 35.3 to 52.8m. The robot kicks an average distance of 44.2 ± 2.4m with an angular standard deviation of 2.2 degrees. The results show that human kickers become less accurate as they have to strike the ball harder in order to reach greater distances. At a distance of 44m, the robotic kicker is considerably more accurate than human kickers. Unlike human kickers, the robotic kicker has a consistent kick style and is therefore a useful tool for research into the mechanics, kinematics and dynamics of place-kicking a rugby ball.