Kicking a Field Goal
Entry posted by SwagDragon15
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Well as you may know, just six hours ago the current Falcon regime earned there first playoff win over the Seattle Seahawks by a final score of 30-28. Russel Wilson is a scumbag and completely deserved this just for the record. The game was won and sealed by a 49 yard Matt Bryant field goal with 8 seconds left and I need blog posts so I will now write about what I think of my team being an absolute power house. Enjoy :beaten:
The essentials of kicking a field goal are all projectile motion, however this makes it by no means simple!!! There are many factors that alter the projectile including wind, air resistance and momentum. If these conditions did not exist and gravity was the only force acting on the ball as we assume when doing projectile calculations in class, kicking would be much easier and we would all be making millions, dawg.
I will now examine each of the factors in a little more depth.
Wind can easily change the path of a projectile by simply blowing in a different direction during the kick. However it can also be helpful if the kicker is fortunate enough for the wind to be blowing at his back, increasing maximum distance. Wind causes air resistance on the ball, basically friction in the air. But besides wind air resistance can have an effect in a plethora of different ways. One factor is the shape of the football. Take for example when the ball is kicked in its center rather than towards one of the pointed ends it makes the ball tumble rather than spiral in the air. This takes longer, meaning the ball is moving slower in the air and therefore achieving less distance in the end. Momentum is also crucial in that the kicker needs it to achieve optimum distance and even height for that matter. Since p=mv and the mass of the kicker stays constant then he will need to increase the velocity of his approach and the velocity of the rotation of his leg through the ball to knock it home. :dog:
As we can see the kicker can do quite a bit to affect the success of his attempt, and I will now explain how the kicker should best achieve the optimum combination of the things listed above that he has control over. The angle of the kickers body, his pointed toe, his arched back and the angle of the tilt of the ball (holders responsibility) all effect the distance and speed of the ball. The more angled the kickers body the more momentum.
The kickers arms also make a difference. They should be titled at an angle, ready to pull in after contact with the ball showing that a great amount of momentum and torque was applied. This momentum along with his bent kicking leg allows for propulsion of the ball up into the air. As in the previous picture his angled toes and arched back also show an ideal position for gaining maximum momentum and as previously stated more success at his job. The bent knee also helps with applied force which is all the kicker can control because after the impulse of force is applied he has no control over the elements acting on the ball as it travels through the air.
The final step of the perfect kick is of course the follow through! This is after contact has already been made. At this point the kickers leg should be straight, showing that he has achieved full extension and therefore lengthened his lever arm (referring to the hip joint as a second class lever) and allowing for more torque throughout the motion. The fact that it is also high and in front of his body is a sign of an effective kick as well. He also has pointed toes, and arched back and has pulled in his arms as was suggested as the proper course of action and an indicator of an effective kick above.
As we can see the stooges are obviously very confused.....
:wave):wave)
ATL FALCONS SUPER BOWL XVLII!
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