Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate whether swing velocity affects the ball kicking performance of male soccer players.
The study participants included 309 Japanese male soccer players aged from 10 to 22 years. Participants who were of the same age were classified into 1 group. The participants were further classified into 4 groups on the basis of their school category (elementary school group, junior high school group, high school group, and university group). The ball distance (BD) was measured by the tape measure. The ball velocity (BV) was measured using a speed gun. By using a custom-made speed meter, we measured the maximal swing velocity of the lower limb (SV) while the players were kicking the ball.
With respect to BD and BV, there were significant differences between 12 and 15, and 17 and 18 years old, respectively. The SV significantly increased from 12 to 16 years old. It was found that SV significantly correlated with the BV and BD in all participants and all school categories. The BD and BV were significantly increased due to school categories. However, there was no significant difference between the high school group and the university group with respect to SV. Further, BV and BD were significantly higher in the university group than in the high school group. Therefore, the kicking performance may vary depending on differences in skill level.
These results suggested that the ball kicking performance may be affected by not only swing velocity but also an individual's ball kicking skills.
