Role of perceptual and motor abilities in instep-kicking performance of young soccer players

The present study made a dynamic analysis of the ground reaction forces developed on the supporting foot during instep kicking to investigate the relation between specific perceptual and motor abilities and the performance of this skill. 45 young soccer players (11-13 years of age) participated in a series of laboratory tests assessing simple, choice, and discrimination reaction time, sustained attention, depth perception, and sense of kinesthesis. Kicking performance measured by the amount of impulse (calculated as the integral of force) developed on the supporting foot during kicking. There was a significant correlation of the kicking impulse with choice reaction time (r = -.54) and attention reaction time (r = -.41). Stepwise regression analysis indicated that choice reaction time accounted for 29% of the variation in the anterior/posterior kicking impulse and 16.4% of the variation in the medio/lateral kicking impulse. The significant relation between kicking impulse and measures concerning speed of information processing suggests that processes associated with fast response selection may play an important role in instep-kicking performance. These findings can provide useful information for designing of training schemes and testing protocols.