ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of findings of soccer kicking biomechanics and sheds some light on the veracity of some practical coaching instructions from a biomechanical perspective. Kicking is the kicking technique that has been most widely studied from a biomechanical perspective. Leg swing kinematics at or just before ball contact during kicking are important for determining the resultant ball velocity, because there is a robust relationship that exists between the final foot velocity and the resultant ball velocity. Ball impact transient has been treated as something of a "black box" and thus to explore the inside of the black box is a challenge for researchers. There is one study which treated ball impact dynamics using a very fast sampling frequency. Among many forms of soccer kicking, the side-foot kick is the most frequently used technique when a short and precise pass or shot is required.
