Kicking a soccer ball is one of life’s simpler pleasures, but the action itself is a surprisingly complex process. The world’s greatest set-piece masters and goal-scoring legends have taken the art of kicking to new levels, demonstrating the results of dedicated training combined with a natural understanding of kicking power, accuracy and swerve.
Physiology
Like a golfer swinging a club, your kicking action engages a large number of muscles. These include the plantarflexors in your ankles, the quadriceps in your thighs, your hamstrings and the gluteus muscles of your hips and buttocks. The upper body also plays its part as you swing through the kicking action. According to the Sports Injury Bulletin website, the approach and kick include muscles such as the deltoids in your chest, the biceps of your upper arm and the anterior deltoids in your shoulders.
Physics
Every time you kick a ball, you are setting in motion a complex series of physical equations. This is most evident as the ball travels through the air, spinning and curving through its flight. According to the Physics World website, the forces on a spinning ball flying through the air are generally divided into two types: a lift force and a drag force. Drag occurs on the side spinning in the same direction as the flight of the ball, slowing its movement in relation to the ball’s center. Lift occurs on the opposite side of the ball, where the spin moves in the same direction as the airflow across the ball’s surface. This side is subject to less air resistance, causing the ball to curve in that direction. Although David Beckham may not be a physicist, his free kicks certainly display an understanding of lift and drag.
Fastest Human Kick
As of April 2011, no official record existed for the fastest kick of all time in a competitive soccer match. In February 2007, however, James Dart and Paolo Bandini compiled an unofficial list of thunderous shots for the Guardian website. Using data provided by the Sky Sports Replay 2000 tracking machine, Dart and Bandini scoured the archives in search of the most powerful goal attempt. Leading the way by some margin was Sheffield Wednesday striker David Hirst, with a shot recorded at 114 mph. David Beckham came in second place with 97.9 mph. Frenchman David Trezeguet was only slightly slower than Beckham with a ferocious shot of 96 mph.
Fastest Machine Kick
In June 2010, kicking power was taken to a new level at the Olympic Plaza of National Yoyogi Stadium in Japan. In front of spectators and officials from Guinness World Records, the Castrol Ichi-Go kicking machine struck a soccer ball at record-breaking speeds. According to the Guinness website, the ball reached a speed of 139.8 mph.
References
- Sports Injury Bulletin: Biomechanics of Soccer: The Soccer-style Kick - a Slow-motion Commentary on One of the Most Common Sporting Actions in the World
- Physics World: The Physics of Football
- Guardian.co.uk; "The Hardest Recorded Shot in Football - Ever"; James Dart and Paolo Bandini; February 2007
- Guinness World Records: Fastest Football Kick By a Machine
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