INTRODUCTION

Flexibility is considered an essential component of physical fitness. One sport that relies heavily on this range of motion is soccer. Without such flexibility in this sport, the possibility of injury to the joint or muscles crossing the joint can lead to muscle, tendon, and ligament damage. According to Anderson and Sidaway (1994), the ineffective pattern of coordination involved in an unpracticed soccer kick is believed to be the result of a constraint of the range of motion at the hip and knee joints. Most of the speed of the foot is generated through knee extension, which suggests that with greater range of motion there is a better chance to increase the velocity of the kick (Levanon and Dapena, 1998). Training and practice could lift this constraint and a more effective pattern of coordination could emerge, leading to a higher velocity kick.

In this experiment, we will compare the kinematics of an in-step soccer kick (using the top of the foot) of a novice and experienced soccer player. We hypothesize that the novice soccer player's kick pattern will have a slower velocity due to a smaller range of motion at the hip and knee joints. By increasing the range of motion through flexibility exercises and practice, a desirable coordination pattern could develop that enables the knee joint to take greater advantage of the velocity generated by the hip. We hope to provide data that will inform a novice soccer player how to kick more efficiently.