Energy flow analysis between lower limb segments during the instep kick in soccer

One of the factors for increasing the ball speed in soccer is the swing speed of the kicking foot. Although previous studies have reported that kinetics and kinematics are important factors for increasing swing speed, detailed knowledge regrading mechanical energy transfer between segments (energy flow) is still lacking. This study aimed to elucidate the energy flow between the lower limb segments during the instep kick. Our results indicate that the kicker mainly flowed the joint force power proximally to distally.