Introduction

1. Biomechanics - Comparative Analysis: Kicking Movement of Youth Football Player Anthony Siokos (5835) Unit Assessment - Task 2 Poster Presentation (15%) Understanding Motion and Human Movement (SC222) Raul Landeo Due: Week 12, 7/5/08 Introduction The skill, exercise, movement task or sporting skill chosen for analysis is a kicking motion frequently used in the sport of football (soccer). In order to understand the biomechanics of this movement a number of points have been highlighted which include the muscles used in the movement, the range of motion, internal and external environment, and level of ability of the subject used for this analysis. Quantitative data has been produced using the computer analysis protocol, Swinger. A qualitative assessment has been briefly touched upon in order to produce a complete analysis of the subject and the type of movement. Adjacent/below are a series of graphs displaying the results compiled and calculated. Kick 1: Standing kick Kick 2: Running kick Methods Discussion Results On Tuesday, 18 March 2008, digital video recording of a youth football player was undertaken in order to compare and analyse two kicking movements. The first, a standing kick with the non-kicking foot firmly planted on the ground and the kicking foot swinging back to then come forward and strike the ball using the in-step of the foot. The second, a running kick where the subject was asked to strike the ball after running toward it, using the same simple technique of planting the non-kicking foot firmly on the ground and using the in-step to connect with the ball propelling it forward. All data was collected with the use of the local football field, a number of footballs, digital video camera and the subject conducting the movement. The subject’s name is Michael Kenyon, aged 14 with only two-years experience playing football i.e. he has a limited level of technique and skill. Post collection of subject data, two video files were uploaded to Swinger where the shoulder, hip, knee and ankle movements were plotted producing quantitative data for assessment. From this data Figure 1 and Figure 2 adjacent have been produced to analyse the movement in more detail. The focal point of analysis for this comparison is the hip, knee and ankle movements. The objective was to measure whether there was a significant difference between the two kicks. “Biomechanics can be defined as the science that examines internal and external forces acting on the human body and the effects produced by these forces” (Sewell, Watkins & Griffin, 2005, p.191). In football, there are a number of different kicking movements which produce force to propel the ball forward, in this case a standing kick and running kick have been analysed. The movement can be divided into four phases as shown in Table 1 (Howe & Hanchard, 2003, p.18). Figure 1. Joint Trajectory comparison between “Standing” & “Running” kicks. Table 1. Action phases of kicking a ball. Reference List Howe, T., & Hanchard, N. (2003). Functional anatomy. In T. Reilly, & A.M. Williams, A.M. (Eds.), (2003). Science and soccer (2nd ed.) (pp. 9-20). Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. Sewell, D., Watkins, P., & Griffin, M. (2005). Sport and exercise science: An introduction. London: Hodder Arnold. Figure 2. Joint Velocity comparison between “Standing” & “Running” kicks.