The Relationship Between Foot-Ball Impact with Kick Outcome
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THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FOOT-BALL IMPACT AND KICK OUTCOME IN FOOTBALL KICKING Submitted to College of Sport and Exercise Science VICTORIA UNIVERSITY In fulfilment of the requirements for the degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY By JAMES PEACOCK 2018 Principal supervisor: Dr. Kevin Ball Associate supervisor: Dr. Simon Taylor I Abstract Across the football codes, kicking is the main skill used to score goals and pass between team members. Kicking with high ball velocity and high accuracy is required to kick to targets at far distances or reach a submaximal target in less time. The impact phase is the most important component of the kicking action: it is the only time a player forcefully contacts the ball to produce the flight path. Ensuring high impact efficiency and the appropriate combination of flight characteristics are imparted onto the ball during foot-ball impact is important for successful kicking. The aim of this thesis was to determine how foot-ball impact characteristics influences impact efficiency, ankle plantarflexion, ball flight characteristics and kicking accuracy. By using a mechanical kicking machine to systematically explore impact characteristics and performing an intra-individual analysis of human kickers, high-speed-video analysis of foot-ball impact found impact characteristics influenced impact efficiency, ankle plantarflexion, ball flight characteristics, and kicking accuracy. Increasing ankle joint stiffness, impact locations on the foot closer to the ankle joint, altering foot-ball angle and reducing foot velocity each increased impact efficiency. These results supported the coaching cue ‘maintaining a firm ankle’ during impact as effective at increasing impact efficiency. The impact location between the foot and ball across the medial-lateral direction, foot-ball angle and foot trajectory were each identified as influential to ball flight characteristics and/ or kicking accuracy. The oblique impact theory applied to the duration of impact provided a theoretical framework underpinning how each impact characteristic influenced ball flight characteristics. More consistent performing players produced less kick-to- kick variability in their impact characteristics, while lower kick accuracy was due to errors produced in the combination of impact characteristics. In conclusion, foot-ball impact characteristics were influential to impact efficiency, ankle plantarflexion, ball flight characteristics, and kicking accuracy. II Student declaration I, James Peacock, declare that the PhD thesis entitled The relationship between foot-ball impact with kick outcome in football kicking is no more than 100,000 words in length including quotes and exclusive of tables, figures, appendices, bibliography, references and footnotes. This thesis contains no material that has been submitted previously, in whole or in part, for the award of any other academic degree or diploma. Except where otherwise indicated, this thesis is my own work. Signature: Date: 02/03/2018 III Acknowledgements Firstly, I would like to give a big thank-you to my principle supervisor, Kevin Ball. Kev, it’s been a great pleasure to learn from you over the past five-ish years. The CPD placement, honours degree, and PhD; thank you. You have provided many opportunities for me to grow as a researcher and teacher. I would also like to thank the contribution of Simon Taylor, my associate supervisor. Simon, thank you for the opportunities and support you have provided, allowing me to grow as a researcher and teacher. A big thank you to Mick Kusel and Robert Stokes for your contributions to the development of the mechanical kicking machine. The mechanical kicking machine is one of the foundations of this thesis, and your contributions to it cannot be put into words. Thank you. I would also like to thank Brandon Defina, Caleb Brockwell and Ross Brown for their contributions as research assistant’s. Guys, you contributed heaps to this thesis. You put in hours of work helping me collect data and problem solve camera setups. I hope my work as a supervisor was of benefit to you guys! Thank you, Ketha, for passing on a little bit of your expansive knowledge of photography. Your expertise not only helped with setting up the cameras to collect great data, but also helped with my personal joy and development of nature photography. A big thank-you to the fellow PhD students in biomechanics – Ale, Steph, Suus and Soheil. It’s been a great past few years, and some very memorable celebrations while at conferences. Lastly, a massive thank you to Abbey and my parents. Abbey (my wife), you’ve only known me while I have been studying/ completing my research degrees. Thank you for your support throughout the years, and now we can transition into post-PhD life. My parents, thank you also for your support throughout my university degrees. From not paying rent and contributing little to household chores, it made the years of my undergraduate, honours and first few years of PhD degrees a breeze! Also thanks to my sisters. IV Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................ I Student declaration ....................................................................................................... II Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................... III Contents ......................................................................................................................... IV List of Figures ............................................................................................................... XI List of Tables ............................................................................................................. XVII Chapter 1 : Introduction ................................................................................................ 1 1.1. Aims .......................................................................................................................... 6 1.2. Thesis structure ......................................................................................................... 9 Chapter 2 : Literature review...................................................................................... 11 2.1. The generation of ball velocity ................................................................................ 11 2.1.1 Theoretical framework ................................................................................. 11 2.1.2 Foot velocity ................................................................................................. 15 2.1.3 Impact efficiency .......................................................................................... 19 2.1.4 Summary of factors influential to ball velocity ............................................ 26 2.2. Kicking accuracy ..................................................................................................... 27 2.2.1 Theoretical framework ................................................................................. 27 2.2.2 The ball flight path ....................................................................................... 30 2.2.3 The relationship between foot-ball impact characteristics with ball flight characteristics ........................................................................................................ 32 2.2.4 Other factors influencing kicking accuracy .................................................. 34 V 2.2.5 Summary of factors influencing kicking accuracy ....................................... 37 2.3. Methodological approaches to analysing foot-ball impact ...................................... 38 2.3.1 Analysis of human kickers ........................................................................... 38 2.3.2 Mechanical kicking machines ...................................................................... 39 2.3.3 Theoretical models & computer simulations ................................................ 39 Chapter 3 : Study 1 - The impact phase of drop punt kicking: validation and experimental data of a mechanical kicking limb ....................................................... 41 3.1. Introduction ............................................................................................................. 42 3.2. Methods ................................................................................................................... 43 3.3. Results ..................................................................................................................... 44 3.4. Discussion ............................................................................................................... 44 3.5. Conclusions ............................................................................................................. 47 3.6. Acknowledgements ................................................................................................. 47 3.7. Contribution of individual chapter to overall thesis ................................................ 47 Chapter 4 : Study 2 - The relationship between foot-ball impact and flight characteristics in punt kicking .................................................................................... 48 4.1. Introduction ............................................................................................................. 50 4.2. Methods ..................................................................................................................