Abstract
Goal-kicking is an important skill in Australian Football (AF). This study examined whether kinematic differences exist between accurate and inaccurate goal-kicks and determined the relationships between technical factors and accuracy. Eighteen elite to sub-elite AF players performed 15 x 30 m goal-kicks on an AF training ground, with three-dimensional kinematics collected using the Xsens inertial measurement system (Xsens Technologies B.V., Enschede, the Netherlands). A general linear mixed modelling approach and regression-based statistics were employed to quantify differences between accurate and inaccurate goal kicks and the relationships between technical factors and accuracy. Accurate goal-kicks were characterised by a straighter approach line, with less kick-leg joint range of motion (knee and hip), lower linear velocity (centre of mass, foot speed), angular velocity (knee and shank), and less support-leg knee flexion during the kicking phase compared to inaccurate goal-kicks. At the end of the follow through, players produced greater ankle plantarflexion and a straighter-leg line in accurate goal-kicks. Findings in this research indicated that many factors interact with goal-kicking accuracy in AF, ranging from the players’ approach line path, their support-leg mechanics, the kick-leg swing motion, to the final position of the kicker during their follow through.
Highlights
Goal-kicking forms an important component of winning games in Australian Football (AF), as it provides a means through which to score points [1]
Findings indicated that many factors interact with accurate goal-kicking in AF, ranging from the player’s approach line, kick-leg swing motion, support-leg mechanics, through to their final position at the end of the follow through
A straighter approach line was evident in accurate goal-kicks compared to inaccurate goal-kicks, with a strong linear relationship reported between approach angle and accuracy (Fig 4)
Summary
Goal-kicking forms an important component of winning games in Australian Football (AF), as it provides a means through which to score points [1]. As the success rate for goal-kicks in the 2019 Australian Football league season was only 45.8% (Champion Data statistics, 2019), there is clear scope for research to explore set-shot goal-kicking to support improvements in performance. The set-shot (hereafter, referred to as the ‘goal-kick’) is a self-paced closed skill, where the player has 30s to perform the shot without any physical pressure from opponents [3, 4].
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