Watching professional soccer for the first time, I notice that the players’ tendency is to not only overshoot the goal, but to kick it far above the goal, many times almost comically so, several stories above the goal.
I understand the incredibly high level of pressure on the field, but still, why the tendency to so often over hit it? Could it all be nerves – but yet these players are professional athletes, some of whom have decades of professional soccer experience? And almost all have probably played their entire lives since their fifth birthday. I can understand a certain percentage of shots being overkicked and going high, but it just seems that this type of over-shooting tendency is more than one would have expected.
I think it’s because in many cases you hit the bottom of the ball and your leg is going up - your leg can’t go down or else it will hit the ground. (and maybe leave you with a broken leg or ankle)
The basic kicking motion involves your foot following a very roughly circular path, with either your hip or knee joint being at the centre of the circle. This naturally gives the ball some height as it comes off at a tangent to this “circle”.
Football players try to “drill” shots by keeping the foot almost level with the ground, and hitting with the top of the foot. But this can be awkward to do right at the end of a sprint or at a funny angle.
Also, it’s necessary to hit the ball right on its “equator”.
But of course if the player were not under any pressure, and there were no keeper to have to blast the ball past, the players could easily put the ball on target.
The first thing you are taught when striking the ball as a child is to keep your head over the ball rather than leaning backwards whilst shooting. This will generally keep the ball low.
I am guessing you are referring to matches in the World Cup, in which case some of the blame may rest with the Jabulani ball which players say has a tendency to rocket into the air.
It’s basically because they’re trying to hit it hard. If you catch it right, on the so-called ‘sweet spot’, that force translates into velocity. If you catch it underneath the sweet spot, that force can take it way too high. Catch it either side of the sweet spot and you can slice it wildly.
If you’re talking about the World Cup, supposedly there’s been a higher percentage of shots going too high: partly because a lot of the games are being played at high altitude, where the air is thinner, so any upward trajectory will take the ball higher than it would go at sea level. And partly because the new Jabulani ball is supposedly wilder and harder to control than previous balls (according to most of the players anyway).
Speaking of funny misses, this guy is one of the best players in the world…
