1-2-3 kick: the effect of an audible rhythm pattern on kicking performance

Author / Creator

Butcher-Poffley, Lois A

Summary

The effects of an audible rhythm pattern intervention on the performance of a place kick were examined in this study. It was hypothesized that an audible rhythm pattern may increase consistency of ...

The effects of an audible rhythm pattern intervention on the performance of a place kick were examined in this study. It was hypothesized that an audible rhythm pattern may increase consistency of performance of a place kick, even when the kicker already performs a successful kicking movement pattern. Participants were nine skilled kickers from the sports of football, soccer, and rugby who volunteered for this study. Because each participant served as his own control, a single-case subject design was used to analyze data obtained at baseline and following audible rhythm pattern intervention. Variables measured in this study included: time to prepare for a place kick and perform the kick, hang time of the kick, and number of successful attempts to kick the football 30 yards over the cross bar and between the uprights of the goal post. Analysis of the data revealed significant improvements over baseline performance in time to prepare for the kick and the perform the kick, near significant improvement in hang time (p between .06 and .08), and a significant improvement in the number of successful kicks and kicking accuracy following audible rhythm pattern training. It was concluded that incorporating an audible rhythm pattern to an existing kicking movement pattern appeared to allow the kickers to make more intuitive adjustments to the kicking movement. Audible rhythm patterns may be used to lessen the time to set up and kick a place kick, increase the hang time of the ball, and improve success rate and accuracy of a place kick. It is reasonable to believe that the incorporation of an audible rhythm pattern into other movement patterns may also improve ones performance of the movement pattern.

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