ABSTRACT
The worldwide popularity of soccer has led to an extensive interest in the scientific analysis of the skills of the game. The kick is the skill which defines soccer and although there are many variants of this skill, it is the maximal soccer instep kick of a stationary ball that has received most attention in the biomechanical literature. The soccer kick is three-dimensional (3D) in nature but it is only recently that 3D studies have been undertaken. Prior to that, the studies conducted used a two-dimensional (2D) analysis. Naturally, the information derived from these studies was limited, but nevertheless provided a good starting point for future investigations. Both 2D and 3D studies have concerned themselves with the kinematics and kinetics of the kicking skill. Most have been concerned with the characteristics of the kicking leg although more recently there has been an interest in the support leg and upper body actions.
