Introduction

Football, better known as soccer in Australia, is a popular, professional sport and has been nicknamed ‘the world game', as more than two hundred countries around the world play it, making it the most popular sport in the world.  Although soccer has encountered many obstacles over the years in its attempt to achieve mainstream recognition and support in Australia, it is argued that once a sport has been established in a society it is difficult to dislodge (Kobe 1999). Biomechanics is the primary sport science focusing on movement technique. It provides conceptual and mathematical tools that are necessary for understanding how living things move and how kinesiology professionals might improve movement or make movement safer (Knudson, 2007). Biomechanics is often applied to soccer to define characteristics of skills, to gain an understanding of their mechanical effectiveness and to identify factors essential to optimal performance (Scurr & Hall, 2009). The in-step soccer kick is described as a complex motor movement consisting of six important stages; approach angle, plant foot forces, swing limb loading, flexion at the hip and extension at the knee, foot contact with the ball and follow through (Sterzing, 2010). The kicking procedure may also be divided up into five essential aspects; approach, support leg, kicking leg, foot to ball interaction, and ball flight. This biomechanics blog will look at, ‘how to achieve optimum force and ball speed for an accurate in-step soccer kick?’