Asymmetry in Ball Kicking Speed between Preferred and Non-preferred Leg in Young Soccer Players

Kicking ability is one of the most important skills in soccer. It is very important to have a good kicking ability with both feet. The main goal of this research was to determine a ball kicking asymmetry (KA) between preferred and non-preferred leg in young soccer players for the U-15 and the U-17 age category. The second goal was to determine differences in kicking asymmetry (KA) between players of different playing positions. 183 young players in U-15 category as well as 87 players from U-17 age category were tested with simple soccer specific test to evaluate kicking velocity (km/h) with preferred and non-preferred leg using Pocket radar. Testing took place on the artificial grass during dry and warm weather and ball was kicked while stationary at the 11-m spot. Results obtained with Student’s T-test showed that differences in the maximum kicking velocity with the preferred and non-preferred leg were statistically significant (p≤0.05) in both age groups (90.2±8.8 km/h /78.5±9.8 km/h for U-15) and (102.7±6.4 km/h /89.5±9.4 km/h for U-17) which confirmed KA is present. Additionally, univariate analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that there were significant differences in KA between different playing positions in U-17 group (KA=14.57/9.72/14.1 for defenders, midfielders and attackers, respectively). Soccer kicking can be a quality indicator for assessing the soccer kicking ability. By assessing kicking ability, relevant results can be obtained in a fast, and efficient way and can be utilized in the selection process of young talents.