Abstract
In football, the kick is the quintessential skill which a player needs to master. There are several components of a kick such as the approach, swinging motion of the kicking leg, the impact phase, and the follow through of the kicking leg. However, the impact phase is the most crucial as this dictates the spin of the ball and its resultant trajectory. The point of impact on the ball and the orientation of the kicking foot are critical determinants during this phase. This paper investigates the characteristics of a good kick based on impact point and orientation of foot by utilising the Double Diamond Design Approach (DDDA) design thinking methodology and methods from a Design Research Methodology (DRM). A novel method to analyse ball trajectory was developed to measure the ball trajectory of straight kicks and results were categorised as Straight, Relatively Straight (RS) and Not Straight (NS). Using a combination of high-speed cameras, an ink pad, and IMU sensors, a set of characteristics for RS kicks and NS kicks were identified to provide preliminary knowledge of straight kicks.