BALL IMPACT DYNAMICS IN THE PUNT KICK

Abstract

Impact is an important component of kicking. However, while soccer studies have examined foot to ball interaction through impact, studies examining the punt kick in other football codes have been limited to determining average parameters for impact based on pre and post-contact data. The aim of this study was to analyse foot to ball interaction through impact for the punt kick. High speed video (4000 Hz) of maximal kicks performed by four elite rugby league players were digitised from 5 frames before contact until after the ball had left the foot. Impact could be divided into four phases similar to the soccer kick. Maximal forces of 2062 N were substantially larger than average force of 1045 N for impact indicating. Findings have implications for performance enhancement and injury prevention.