One of the greatest kickers in the history of rugby, England's Jonny Wilkinson owes his phenomenal success less to his "praying mantis" style of preparation than a barely noticed movement of his right arm, scientists say.
Players who swing their non-kicking-side arm across their chest as they make contact with the ball are nearly twice as accurate as those who use this arm less or not at all, they say.
Researchers at the University of Bath, in England, asked five experienced kickers at university first-team level to take part in an experiment in biomechanics -- the study of body movement and posture.
Using a standard size-five rugby ball and wearing reflective markers, the guinea pigs carried out seven trials for kicking accuracy and seven trials for kicking distance in a large indoor sports hall.
They were filmed simultaneously by a network of 11 cameras. These transferred the data to motion analysis software, which transcribed in three dimensions every movement of the torso, head and limbs in all phases of the kick.
The most successful kickers by far were the ones who swung the arm, on their non-kicking side, across their chest as their toe smacked into the ball. For left-footer Wilkinson, the swinging arm is on his right side.
"In taking a kick, players try to have their torso facing the target at the point of impact with the ball," said researcher Grant Trewartha in the Sport and Exercise Science Department at the university's School for Health. "Swinging their non-kicking-side arm helps players to maintain this position for longer."
As a result, the player has a more powerful followthrough -- a `J'-shaped kicking action, rather than the weaker `C'-shaped one.
There is also a gain in accuracy, Trewartha said.
"When you examine their action from the front, it is clear that this action also helps counteract the swing of the leg, enabling the players to remain more upright at ball contact. This should increase their error of margin and increase their overall accuracy," he said.
Trewartha, who worked with PhD student Neil Bezodis, said the swinging-arm technique was used by the most successful kickers in the World Cup so far.
Wilkinson's signature two-armed stance as he prepares for the kicks is also important, as it is a pre-performance ritual that helps to steady him, Trewartha said.
"A lot of effort goes in to helping players prepare psychologically for key moments in games. For those that need it, biomechanical analysis of their technique could really help," he said.
Former world No. 2 Paula Badosa has withdrawn from this week’s Wuhan Open, organizers said on Tuesday, amid a racism row over an online photograph. Tournament organizers said the Spaniard had pulled out of the WTA 1000 tournament, citing a gastrointestinal illness, hours before her first-round match against Australian Ajla Tomljanovic. News outlets including Britain’s the Telegraph earlier reported that Badosa had posted a photo on Instagram in which she appeared to imitate a Chinese face by placing chopsticks on the corners of her eyes. The photo was taken last week in a restaurant in Beijing, where she reached the semi-finals of the
PREDICTION: Last week, when Yu’s father made a wrong turn to the former champions’ parking lot, he said that his son could park there after this year With back-to-back birdies on the 18th hole, Kevin Yu fulfilled his driving range-owning dad’s prediction that he would win the Sanderson Farms Championship and become Taiwan’s third golfer to claim a US PGA Tour title. The Taoyuan-born 26-year-old, who represented Taiwan in the Olympic golf at Paris, saw off Californian Beau Hossler in a playoff at the Country Club of Jackson, Mississippi, on Sunday. Having drained a 15-foot putt to claw his way into the playoff, Yu rolled in from five feet on the first extra hole, ensuring he joined Chen Tze-chung (LA Open in 1987) and Pan Cheng-tsung (RBC
LeBron James and eldest son Bronny James claimed a piece of NBA history on Sunday after making their long-awaited first appearance alongside each other for the Los Angeles Lakers. The duo appeared together at the start of the second quarter in the Lakers’ 118-114 preseason defeat to the Phoenix Suns in Palm Desert, east of Los Angeles. While LeBron James impressed with 19 points in just 16 minutes and 20 seconds on court before sitting out the second half, Bronny found the going harder with zero points in just over 13 minutes on court. The younger James attempted just one
Italian defender Marco Curto has been banned for 10 matches for racially abusing South Korean forward Hwang Hee-chan while playing for Como 1907 against Wolverhampton Wanderers in a pre-season friendly in July. Curto, who is on loan from Como to Serie B club Cesena, would serve half of the punishment immediately with the other half suspended for two years. “The player Marco Curto was found responsible for discriminatory behavior and sanctioned with a 10-match suspension,” a FIFA spokesperson said. “The player is ordered to render community services and undergo training and education with an organization approved by FIFA.” Wolves said the club would
RSS