Title:

This is an investigation that explores the impact of using different feet to kick a football. This
will test whether using the right or left foot will affect the distance a football can be kicked.

Problem:
Does using the right or left foot to kick a football have an effect on how far it can be kicked?

Research:
There are no other similar experiments that test if using the right or left foot will have an
effect on how far a football can be kicked. It is however common knowledge that using the
dominant foot can strike a football with more power and accuracy with more control than the
weaker foot. The right foot is my dominant foot so it is expected that the football will be
kicked further with the right foot than the left foot.
To try and improve reliability the football will be kicked with each foot ten times so there are
many consistent results that can be used to calculate the average distance and total
distance the football is kicked with each foot. A comparison can then be made between the
total distance and the average distance of how far the football has been kicked with the right
and left foot.

Hypothesis:
If the right and left foot is used to kick a football, then it will be kicked further with the right
foot because it is the dominant foot that has been used and conditioned more than the left
foot meaning more power and better control will be generated by the right foot than the left
foot. It is expected that there will be a noticeable but not too major difference in the average
distance kicked by each foot as over years the left foot has been deliberately improved. On
average, the right foot is expected to kick the ball further as the technique employed is more
precise. This will ensure that the right foot has better control, power and accuracy compared
to the left foot.

Aim:
To determine whether using the right or left foot to kick a football will have an effect on the
distances the ball travels.

Variables:
Independent variable-
Using the left or right foot to kick the football.

Dependent variable-
How far the football is kicked in metres.

Controlled variables-
Size of football.
Type of football.
Ground surface.
Boots.
Socks.
Weather.
Field the football is being kicked at.
Kicking technique.
Where the ball is placed.
Ball not moving at point of kick.
Strength used to kick the ball.
Direction the ball is kicked.
Air pressure of football.

Equipment:
Size 5 Deploy T-Spec Series III football.
Size US 9 Nike Tiempo Legend 9 Elite football boots.
50m tape measure.
A brick.
Four pins.
30cm ruler.
One sheet of A4 paper.
Pen.

Kicking Technique:
Diagonal ping, also known as a diag or a ping.

Method:
1. Go to Field 3 of Myimbarr.
2. Put on the football socks.
3. Put on the football boots.
4. Tie the laces of the boots in a shoelace knot.
5. Push a small pin into the ground on the edge of the Northern part of the white line as
shown in the diagram directly below. The diagram is a bird’s eye view facing North.
6. Facing North, use the 50m tape measure to push a pin into the ground 10.5cm from
the middle of the pin pushed into the ground in Step 5. Ensure the pin that is being
pushed into the ground is to the right of the pin placed in Step 5, is on the same edge
of the line and the middle of each pin is 10.5cm apart.
7. Facing North, use the 50m tape measure to push a pin into the ground 10.5cm from
the middle of the pin pushed into the ground in Step 5. Ensure the pin that is being
pushed into the ground is to the left of the pin placed in Step 5, is on the same edge
of the line and the middle of each pin in the ground is 10.5cm apart. The diagram
directly below, a bird’s eye view facing North, is how the pins from Steps 5, 6 and 7
should be placed.

8. Place the football on the line as shown in the diagram directly below. Ensure the pin
in the centre is in line with the middle of the ball with the middle of the two other pins
in line with each edge of the football. The diagram is a bird's eye view facing North.

9. Place your left foot next to the ball as if it were to be kicked with the right foot and
take three even steps directly backwards.
10. Step once to the left.
11. Use the distance between yourself and the ball as a runup to kick the ball using the
right foot as hard as possible with the diagonal ping technique straight ahead.
12. Use the 50m tape measure to measure the distance the ball has been kicked once
the ball comes to a complete stop. To measure, put the start/0m mark of the tape
 measure into the ground directly in front of the centre pin. By ‘in front’, this means
measure from North of the centre pin directly in front of it so that it is touching it. Let
out the tape measure as you walk towards the football. When you get to the football,
measure the distance from the point of the ball that is furthest away from the centre
pin by holding the tape above the ball. Round the number you get from the point of
the ball furthest away from the centre pin to the nearest whole number. For example,
if you got 45.8m, round that number up to 46m. If the distance the ball is kicked
exceeds 50m, measure the first 50m and push a pin into the ground at the 50m mark.
Then measure the distance from the middle of the pin to the point of the football
furthest from the centre pin. To get a result for a kick that exceeds 50m, add 50m and
the distance from the most recently placed pin to the furthest point of the football
from the centre pin together. To make sure the tape measure does not move while
you let it out while walking, place a brick on the 0.5m mark to prevent movement. If
there is a measurement that is too close to another measurement to tell, use the ruler
to hold straight up along the edge of the football where you’re measuring from next to
the measuring tape to get the right result. This will only be needed if for example, you
get a measurement like 45.49m that could be too close to be sure without more
accuracy as the number could round down to 45m or the number could truly be
45.5m which would be rounded up to 46m.
13. Record the distance the ball was kicked on the sheet of paper under the first attempt
with the right foot. If a pin and brick was used for a kick that exceeded 50m, retrieve
the pin and brick.
14. Repeat Steps 8-12 nine times and after Step 12 each time you repeat, record the
result of the distance kicked under the next attempt with the right foot.
15. Place the football on the line as shown in the diagram directly below. Ensure the pin
in the centre is in line with the middle of the ball with the middle of the two other pins
in line with each edge of the football. The diagram is a bird's eye view facing North.

16. Place your right foot next to the ball as if it were to be kicked with the left foot and
take three even steps directly backwards.
17. Step once to the right.
18. Use the distance between yourself and the ball as a runup to kick the ball using the
left foot as hard as possible with the diagonal ping technique straight ahead.
19. Use the 50m tape measure to measure the distance the ball has been kicked once
the ball comes to a complete stop. To measure, put the start/0m mark of the tape
measure into the ground directly in front of the centre pin. By ‘in front’, this means
 measure from North of the centre pin directly in front of it so that it is touching it. Let
out the tape measure as you walk towards the football. When you get to the football,
measure the distance from the point of the ball that is furthest away from the centre
pin by holding the tape above the ball. Round the number you get from the point of
the ball furthest away from the centre pin to the nearest whole number. For example,
if you got 45.8m, round that number up to 46m. If the distance the ball is kicked
exceeds 50m, measure the first 50m and push a pin into the ground at the 50m mark.
Then measure the distance from the middle of the pin to the point of the football
furthest from the centre pin. To get a result for a kick that exceeds 50m, add 50m and
the distance from the most recently placed pin to the furthest point of the football
from the centre pin together. To make sure the tape measure does not move while
you let it out while walking, place a brick on the 0.5m mark to prevent movement. If
there is a measurement that is too close to another measurement to tell, use the ruler
to hold straight up along the edge of the football where you’re measuring from next to
the measuring tape to get the right result. This will only be needed if for example, you
get a measurement like 45.49m that could be too close to be sure without more
accuracy as the number could round down to 45m or the number could truly be
45.5m which would be rounded up to 46m.
20. Record the distance the ball was kicked on the sheet of paper under the first attempt
with the left foot. If a pin and brick was used for a kick that exceeded 50m, retrieve
the pin and brick.
21. Repeat Steps 15-19 nine times and after Step 12 each time you repeat, record the
result of the distance kicked under the next attempt with the left foot.

Risk Assessment:

Risk Risk Minimisation Strategy

Muscle injuries. Stretching before and after kicking.

Warming up and down before and after
kicking.
Don’t play through any pain.
Take breaks.
Use the correct technique.

Twist your ankle. Watch for uneven surfaces. There are some
divots in Myimbarr’s surface. (Myimbarr is
the field I’ll kick the ball at).

Tripping on laces. Make sure the laces are tied up and not
hanging out. If they are hanging out, tuck
them in the boots or under the laces.
Results and Discussion:

Distance (m)

Attempt Number Right Foot Left Foot

1 63m 56m

2 65m 58m

3 59m 58m

4 67m 61m

5 64m 58m

6 61m 64m

7 58m 63m

8 65m 62m

9 67m 57m

10 63m 56m

Total Distance (m) 632m 593m

Average (m) 63.2m 59.3m

The right foot had a higher total distance kicked than the left foot by 39m. This means that
using the right foot as opposed to the left foot has had an effect on how far the football can
be kicked. The right foot on average kicked the football further than the left foot. The average
difference between the right and left foot attempts was 3.9m, meaning that on average, the
ball was kicked 3.9m further by the right foot.

Most attempts by the right foot were in the 60’s with only two attempts less than 60m. It was
different with the left foot with 6 attempts being less than 60m. Most of the left foot attempts
were lower than the right foot but some of the kicks by the left were kicked further than the
right. Attempts 6 and 7 show this with the left foot kicking the ball further on those attempts.
However, most of the time the right foot kicked the ball further which is reflected in the
averages and total distances with on average the right foot kicking the ball 3.9m further than
the left foot.

There was not any real pattern in the results. There was no expectation there would be
either. The only expectation was that the right foot would, on average, kick the ball further
than the left foot. I got the results I expected, proving that using the right or left foot to kick a
ball will have an effect on the distance it travels. This was because my right foot is my
dominant foot which is stronger and more accurate as a result of more conditioning and
training than my left foot has had. The independent variable does have an effect on the
dependent variable, meaning that using the right or left foot will have an effect on the
distance the ball travels. This is because the right foot is the dominant foot that has been
used and conditioned more, ensuring that the technique is better to enable more accuracy
and power as opposed to the left foot.
I have ensured reliability in my experiment by kicking the football twenty times altogether
with each foot kicking the ball ten times. This allowed my results to have an average
distance for each foot based on a suitable amount of kicks. The results can also show the
range to help get an idea of the difference between the furthest and least furthest kicks. I
could, however, have done more kicks to get more results which would affect the average
and possibly the range, but it would be far too time consuming and in the end, not necessary
at all. This is because the total and average distances between the right and left foot already
have a significant difference for me to be able to prove my hypothesis with consistent
results. More kicks would have given more results, but the results would not have made a
large effect as ten times for each foot to kick the ball is enough to ensure reliability. The
results were very consistent as well with kicks with the left and right foot ranging from 56m to
67m. The right foot attempt’s range was between 58m and 67m with most of the kicks being
in the 60’s. The left foot attempt’s range was between 56m and 64m with nearly an equal
number of attempts being in the 50’s and 60’s. The results across the whole experiment only
had a difference of 11m, showing that the results were all in a tight area between 56m and
67m, proving that the results were consistent and reliable.

This experiment ensures validity in this experiment by testing the aim and hypothesis. The
hypothesis was also proved with the results. The hypothesis stated that using the right or left
foot to kick the football would have an effect on the distance the football is kicked. It said the
right foot would kick the ball further as it is stronger as a result of more conditioning
compared to the left foot and the results show that it did, on average, kick the ball further.
During the experiment, the right and left foot were used to kick the football and the distance
after each attempt was recorded, thus testing the hypothesis.
Validity was also achieved through the controlling of all possible variables apart from the
dependent and independent variables. The variables that were controlled are the size of the
football, the type of football, the ground surface, the boots used, the socks worn, the
weather, the field the football is being kicked at, the kicking technique, where the ball is
placed, the ball not moving at point of kick, the strength used to kick the ball by kicking the
ball as hard as possible with each attempt, the direction the ball is kicked and the air
pressure of the football.
A variable that I have listed as a controlled variable is the surface area. While I am kicking
on a field of grass, certain parts of the field may be slightly different from the majority of the
field. While the grass over the whole field is of the same length, there are a small amount of
patches of sand on the field. There is also a little bit of dirt in a small amount of areas.
However, there are only a few patches like this and even if the ball were to roll over them,
the patches are small enough to not have a great impact on the final distance the ball
travels. This is also why there are ten attempts so if one attempt, although extremely
unlikely, was affected by the sand or dirt, there are many other results that balance out the
error.
Overall, this experiment is valid as all variables that need to be controlled are controlled, and
the experiment does test the aim and proves the hypothesis.

There were some sources of error which may have slightly affected the results but as stated
above, the frequency of these happening and the eventual effect would have been very
small, not affecting the conclusion at all. One was the measurement. When measurements
were close to rounding to two numbers, for example, 45.49m could be rounded to 45m,
human error could have not read the measurement correctly and the true measurement
could have been 45.5m which would round up to 46m. Human error could also not even
have contributed to that, the tape measure could be loose which could have affected the
measurement of results.
Using a 50m tape measure was not ideal but was all that was available for the experiment.
There may have been sources of error when measuring distances greater than 50 metres.
Every attempt was greater than 50 metres and having to measure twice could have affected
the results when there were numbers close to being rounded up or down.
Rounding may have not been the most precise way of recording the results, however, they
may be more accurate than not rounding. This is because when measuring using a tape
measure over a significant distance, obtaining accurate results down to the centimetre would
be extremely difficult and could be very inaccurate down to human error or the tape measure
being too loose or even moving. That is why it was determined that rounding would be a far
more accurate method of recording the results, especially when the difference between the
results was mainly in metres, so centimetres would not have a large effect on accuracy
provided the attempts were repeated numerous times as they were.
These errors could have been avoided. Two or more people could have measured the
results using the tape measure to avoid looseness or the moving of the tape measure to help
with the accuracy of the results.
A longer tape measure is such a simple solution to the problem of only having a 50m tape
measure when every attempt’s distance exceeded 50 metres. This as well, would have
contributed to greater accuracy.
Even if there are a few results that are a metre off, they are close enough to the true value
and will not significantly impact the overall results as there were many attempts. The
attempts that may be off will also only be off by one metre with only a tiny chance that a
result would be off by more than one metre. Any result that would be off by a metre would
probably only occur when there is a number that is close to being rounded up or down. One
or even a few more metres would not make a difference and that is proved in the results with
the average difference kicked between the right and left foot is 3.9m.

Future experiments that could use my results as a starting point are limited. They could
involve using the right or left foot for something other than football, but there’s not many
things that you use your feet for other than football that someone could use my results as a
starting point in a future experiment. Future experiments that involve football that could use
my results could use my proven hypothesis as a starting point. For example, someone might
want to test if using the right or left foot will have an effect on something other than the
distance that the ball is able to be kicked such as the accuracy. They could test whether
using the right or left foot to kick a football will have an effect on the accuracy by shooting at
a goal. They could base their hypothesis off my hypothesis by stating that they think that the
dominant right foot will be more accurate based on what my results have proved. The
distance kicked and the accuracy are related and my results could help other experiments
like this one hypothesise what will happen.

My experiment is related to a real-world problem as in football, it is important to have a

strong weak foot. This experiment can help to see progress made over a period of time or
where someone is at with their weak foot strength. Having a strong weak foot gives players
more options when shooting, dribbling or passing a football which can lead to a valuable
attribute of unpredictability. If there is a player who can shoot well with both feet, it becomes
more difficult for a defender to force them into a specific position. It's easier for the attacker
to find the space to take a shot, and it's harder for the defender to stop them.
There is more to this than just explaining why having a strong weak foot is useful.
Professional football clubs, including the very best in Europe, base their transfer strategies
over player adaptability, meaning clubs will look for players with strong weak feet. Clubs
could use an experiment like this or just my results or proven hypothesis to help them search
for the right player for them. Countless times there have been situations where the manager
and board of the club cannot choose between two players. Nearly every single time when
making the final decision on who to sign, they see who has a stronger weak foot as they are
signing a player who can use double the feet than a player who can only use one foot for
most of the time. Clubs and players could use this experiment to base their decision making
and to do what is right for them.

Some of the challenges that I encountered while designing and carrying out this experiment
were mainly in the method. It was hard to include enough detail and to word the procedure in
an easily understandable way. It was challenging trying to describe how to place the ball and
how to approach and kick the ball. Describing how to measure was also difficult as I had to
explain from what point of the line I was measuring from and to what part of the ball I was
measuring to.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, I have proven my hypothesis that using the right or left foot to kick a football
will have an effect on the distance the ball travels as shown in the results. On average, the
football was kicked 3.9m further with the right foot than the left foot with the right foot kicking
the ball 39m further across the ten attempts taken by each foot. This concludes that the
independent variable does have an effect on the dependent variable as the football was
kicked, on average, further with the right foot than the left foot.

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