Adverse Weather's Effect on Soccer
Entry posted by ZZ
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As we near the end of October where most of the inclement weather begins, I'm starting feel the effects of it during our team's games. Recently, we have had games where wind has been a big factor. Wind, a form of kinetic energy, has a massive influence on the way each team must play the game. For example, if you have the wind at your back, you can take shots from further out, because the ball will experience less of a resistive net force against its path of travel while in the air - thus giving the ball a greater velocity in the x-direction. However, if your team has the wind going against you, you might not that longer shots because the wind increases the net force on the ball against its path of travel. If you had to kick the ball iin the air for some reason, it would be smartest to keep it low and hard, since the longer it is in the air, the larger the impulse felt by the ball is. In addition to the factor of wind, the moisture of the grass/turf from rain (and in a month's time: snow) is another aspect to be aware of. The wetness of the pitch conditions lowers the coefficient of friction on the ball. thus increasing the net force in the direction of travel of the ball when it is hit with a force. For a field player, this means that on a wet day, you must be a half-second on top of things because you will have less time to react to the path of the ball. You also know that you can take advantage of these conditions when shooting, and keep your shots low. If you're lucky, you can skip a shot off the ground and the goalkeeper will not be able to react in time, due to the decrease in the fricitonal force felt by the ball. As sectionals approach, these conditions will most likely play a large role in the flow of the game, since the weather at this time of the year is rarely ideal for such activities.
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