Mechanical analysis of instep kick of preferred and non-preferred leg in relation to distance of the kick

Abstract

The instep place kick is one of the most analyzed kicking actions in soccer. Biomechanical techniques are crucial tools for many sport disciplines, but, in sports like soccer, they are particularly useful for improving mechanical effectiveness in executing, defining the characteristics of skills and identifying factors that influence successful performance influence by the skill. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify the significant difference on kicking distance and selected kinematic parameters during instep kick by soccer players between preferred and non-preferred leg. The subject consisted of ten U-18 soccer players of Shillong Lajong FC (North East, India). One camera was used for the purpose of data collection and the variables selected for the study were kicking distance, angular hip velocity and angular knee velocity. The data were analyzed using paired t-test to identify the significant difference in the selected variables. The results revealed that hip angular velocity and kicking distance has exhibited significant difference between preferred and non-preferred leg.