The Importance Of Motion In Soccer

Soccer is a sport that involves running, jumping, kicking, sliding defending etc. A sport that would not be possible if we were unable to move, but what exactly causes our body to move? What are the factors that help produce movement? Many might think we move because of muscle contractions but there is more to it than the shortening and lengthening of a muscle. There are forces and laws that influence every movement produced by the body. Every movement has different forces, and laws that apply to the movement. When striking a soccer ball important mechanical principles and concepts such as stability, motion, force, and Newton’s law affects the outcome of the strike. Stability is what many people consider balance. So in other words stability …show more content…
Newton’s First Law, the law of inertia, states that an object in motion will remain in motion unless it is acted upon by an outside force such as gravity or friction. Not surprisingly, a not in motion will remain not in motion unless an outside force acts on the object. Additionally, in order for movement to stop the outside force must be strong enough to overcome the inertia from the object. In order for an object to move the outside force must be enough to overcome the resistance offered by the object. Newton’s Second Law, the law of acceleration states that, “velocity is directly proportional to the force producing it and inversely proportional to the object’s mass” (Fisette 194). Newton’s Third Law, the law of action and reaction, states, “that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction” (Fisette …show more content…
During the approach the player has 3 or 4 steps to pick up velocity. During this phase the player is in linear motion toward the soccer ball. The approach phase ends when the player plant their non- kicking foot next to the ball. Next is the contact phase. During the contact phase the kicker bends his knee and then contracts the quad muscles causing the knee to extend and create force. The force picked up while approaching the ball also gets transferred. To ensure maximal force the kicker should have a fully stretched planted leg and lean over towards the planted leg. Furthermore, it is important for the player not to lean to much since the center of gravity is in movement and the kicker has a small bass which means lower balance. By planting one leg and leaning over a bit it allows the kicking leg from deceleration, “due to the angle of the hip and pelvis to allow the leg to swing through” (Frezno). The last phase in kicking a ball is the follow-through. During this phase the players transfers his/her weight towards the kicking leg. The transfer in mass allows the player to put more force behind the ball and allows him to land on the kicking