Without the ability to kick with power, finesse, distance and accuracy, a soccer player or football kicker, cannot be successful. To acquire the ability to kick with power or most effectively, the athlete must have the necessary technical and physical skills. This means he or she must have good skill technique and the corresponding physical abilities.
However, since most athletes learn to kick with power by themselves or with minimal help from coaches, most youngsters never fully develop their potential in regard to their ability to kick with power, accuracy and distance . Most of their learning is by trial and error which results in learning and often perfecting only one way of kicking. The kick is made on the inside of the foot along the long edge of the shoe and the inside ankle bone.
This type of kick however, should be used mainly for passing. It is not considered a true kicking action. The large surface created by the foot in this position gives greater control and makes it easier to direct the ball to a specific spot.
In contrast to this, kicking the ball with the toe of the shoe uses a very small surface area of the shoe. Because of this the kick is quite erratic and as a result is rarely used in soccer or football.
When kicking for distance or power, most effective is to make contact on the in-step of the foot. This means that the ball should make contact on the laces of the shoe. To create such contact it is necessary to point the toe downward and slightly inward when kicking. But, when you are standing on one leg and bring your leg forward with the toe pointed down, you invariably hit the ground.
Thus, it is necessary to also lean to the outside over and away from the support leg to give clearance for the kicking leg to come through. This requires additional balance and physical strength to maintain a side leaning position which if not possessed, sometimes leads to injury in young children when the foot makes contact with the ground. Kicking with the inside of the foot can also create problems in the groin area, especially when trying to kick far or hard.
Execution of a kick with power requires a biomechanically effective kinetic chain of actions. First is establishment of a base by taking a long stride with the foot landing alongside the ball and the body leading away from the ball. This is followed by pelvic girdle rotation around the support leg, hip flexion of the swing or kicking leg and knee extension. Each one of these body part movements prepares the muscles for the next joint action.
To learn the effective movement pattern and to strengthen the muscles in the same neuromuscular pathway as they are used in execution of these actions, you should do specialized strength exercises with the Active Cords. In addition, you should use the 1 x 20 RM strength training program which is best for learning new technique and development of the muscles as they are used in the movement pattern.
Exercises to be done include the forward lunge, knee drive, standing knee (leg) extensions, and exercises for the ankle when needed. Keep in mind that these exercises can only be done with Active Cords. You cannot duplicate the movement pattern with free weights or machine exercises. For demonstration of these exercises see our channel on YouTube.
.For more information see Build a Better Athlete and The Revolutionary 1 x 20RM Strength Training Program.