Biomechanics In Sports: Projectile Motion And Kicking Technique

Projectile Motion in Sports

Biomechanics is an important field of sports and outdoor activities such as exercises, in which various principles and laws of mechanics are applied according to the structure and function of the human body. Different kinds of mechanisms are applied in different sports such as large forces through arms is utilized in a tug of war and in gymnastics, balancing of body is important. In most of physical activities, various kinds of dynamics are applied which are required for the particular movement of a body part (Glazier (2021). The projectile motion refers to the movement of any object in the air against the gravitational force to reach the target and it is applied with certain angles. This motion is vital for keeping the objects such as balls, discs, and bullets in the air in the absence of any source for propulsion In the case of basketball, projectile motion is very useful in aiming the ball to reach the hoop, the basketball is thrown through projectile motion, through which the ball covers the curved path to reach the target and it occurs under the gravitational force (Adnan et al. 2020).Therefore gravitation force also plays a great role in sports activities and in projectile motion. In Javelin throw, three important factors are required, these are components of projectile motion (initial velocity, when sports person is ready to run to provide velocity to body while throwing, initial throw angle, and the initial throw height which decides how far a javelin will travel to achieve maximum target distance). Biomechanics is involved in any kind of sports as it involves body movements at a specific angle so that huddles of the target can be avoided. The path followed by different objects in sports such as basketball, volleyball, and javelin throw is parabolic (Jalalbadi et al. 2019).

Biomechanical Principles in Kicking a Football

There is various football player around the globe who entertain by performing complex kicking activities during a match between two teams. A successful kicking can be determined through the well and good movement of the body along with the angle through which kick is applied to the football. Kicking ability is vital for a player to estimate the target and through which team can win the match. Kicking mechanism when applied in daily practice consistently, would lead to a great result (Sivaraman 2020).

Angle of Projection and Ground Reaction Force as Important Factor in Movement of Football 

Fig 1: A player displaces a football with displacement s along its path. The vector s has two components that is x and y along horizontal and vertical axes making angle
θ with the horizontal.

The first step in kicking the football before pushing the ball is the angle of approach. In the human body, while playing football, the angle of approach is decided by the hips and the knee. Both these parts of the body support in obtaining the angle of approach so that the ball can be pushed or forced into the frontal plane (Ancillao 2018). The best projection of angle in kicking a football is near around forty-five to fifty-five degrees, this should be acute so that maximum trajectory can be obtained and for high projection.

Kicking Technique in Football

Velocity of Projectile

The Player’s foot strength is also important for delivering the ball to maximum distance, hence foot velocity decides the force through which the ball can be pushed. To move the ball in the horizontal direction, the angle of projection should be acute and it should be between forty-five to fifty-five degrees (Karahan 2020) When a ball is pushed through a running velocity of the foot, it helps in the fast movement of the ball. When the ball is struck at the angle of forty-five degrees, it attains maximum approach along with the speed of the ball. The movement of the hip helps in striking the ball and the foot helps in making the ball run in a forwarding direction with high velocity (Gherghel 2020).

Another stage is to fix the supporting foot to the football. The position and direction of the foot would help in determining the trajectory and direction of the ball. If the ball is kicked too close with the foot, it will get hooked, to the ball to cover a greater distance, angle of the projection should be optimized to enhance the flight path (Hackett 2018).

One more vital activity in kicking the football is to have enough leg strength, this will help in making grip to stand on one leg or for making the balance of the body (Fletcher et al. 2021). Therefore the strength of the legs is an important factor, both for balancing the body as well as for the making kick. If the sportsperson is right-footed, it is important that the weight of the body has to be transitioned on the other side of the leg, that is the left side of the leg, this will bring in providing the space between the legs and for making back and forth movements (Promsri et al. 2020).

Body Position and Muscular Movements Involved in Kicking a Football And Other Sports

The hip part is important, mainly the flexors and extensors. The muscles that allow the sportsperson to move the leg in a backward direction are the gluteus maximus and hamstrings of the rear thighs, this assists in initiating the first step for making the kick on the ball (Burhaein 2020). This will also assist in providing the force that is vital for ensuring push or kick. For making the legs move in a forwarding direction to make a push, the muscles involved are flexors, some of the other muscles such as iliopsoas, tensor, and pectineus, are found at the front region of the hips which help in bringing leg in the forward direction (Bordoni and Varacallo 2018). During skating body balances to move in coordinated manner.

Fig 2: Showing how an individual balances body while skating

Fig 3: Movement and balancing of the body during long jump

In long jump strength of legs and muscles is important to perform. Thighs help in extending the legs, especially the hamstring. For the extension of the knee after contracting the flexors, the muscles that are stimulated are the quadriceps muscles. These are more powerful muscles of the body that assist in bringing the lower leg in the forward direction. For the rotation of knees, other muscles are involved, these are sartorius.

Muscles Involved in Different Movements

Lower legs support in or it is mainly involved in kicking the ball. The muscles involved in the lower legs are the triceps and tibialis anterior. Triceps get stimulated when the leg is lashed in the backward direction. Tibialis is stimulated when the leg is whipped forward (Heyes et al. 2020).

Another stage is to decelerate the movement of the leg after kicking. This will help in reducing the injury. The elastic energy is used is important during the deceleration process and to bring the swinging back phase. Knee injuries are commonly observed in sports. Some of the techniques and protective braces are provided to the players to minimize the injuries and to reduce ligament injuries (Blecha et al. 2021).

Foot contact is another stage that is vital for a successful kick. The accurate position of the body is vital for a successful kick so that ball can follow the right flight path or trajectory. The position of the ankle is also vital, as it supports in rotation of the ball. Ankle braces are also provided to the sportsperson to reduce the injuries linked with the ankle. Around fifteen percent of kinetic energy is provided by the waving leg, which will be impacted on the ball. When greater force is applied, there is a great chance of injury in the hamstrings (Blecha et al. 2021). The velocity of the projectile has great importance, as air resistance will minimize the speed of the ball, therefore a ball needs to be kicked with greater force.

The shape and to measure the swing of the ball in the air is observed with the fluid dynamics, balls are made round in order to lessen down the drag force in the air. This assists the ball to move smoothly on one side and results to reach the target unpredictably (Gabor 2020). Fluid dynamics along with the trajectory simulations are important components to be considered while designing a football to maintain the consistency of trajectories (Gabor 2020). Sometimes defective designs of the balls produce knuckling effects, this will lead to maximizing the errors from the goalkeeper side as well from the striker side.

The important points to follow during the kicking mechanics are: to preserve or for prolonged contact of the foot with football and to minimize the likelihood of the injuries associated with it. Before playing any sports, the person should be mentally prepared, for this sports person can consult with a therapist before the match. A prolonged foot contact time is vital for estimating the power and velocity. This can be estimated with a mathematical formula, that is Force = mass X acceleration. One other way to reduce injuries during football activity is to do a warm-up prior to the activity, this will help in making the muscles of the body become brittle that was previously brittle (Ferraz et al. 2021).

Trainers provide training to the players by continuously doing bodily exercises to make the body flexible and to maintain the physiological system of the body. The trainer will train to make legs and hips muscles stronger and will focus on physical exercises. Running is also important in football, interval running, long and slow runs can be done to train or to improve sports activity (Hegedus 2021).

Body Balance and Coordination in Skating

Conclusion

A projectile motion has great importance in various sports for a successful target. Projectile works under the acute angle of projection and along with the gravity of the earth. Different factors such as force, air resistance, the shape of the ball, and the weight of the ball, all these factors determine the projection of the ball. Body position and muscles of hips and legs have a vital role in kicking the ball. Hence, biomechanics helps in determining the force and velocity associated with any kind of sport. Strength of legs to make the kick and for balancing of the body is effective for a successful kick. Fluid mechanics helps in the spinning of the ball and in most importantly in throwing so that the object can move on the correct path. Aerodynamics works in lifting up the football and maintaining the spinning. The flight path sometimes differs from the design of the footballs, these may result in erratic flight paths. The objects when thrown with greater forces usually return to the earth, this is because of the gravity, the earth pulls the objects towards it.   

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