Soccer is one of the most popular, widely played sports in our societies with millions of participants all over the ~o r l d . '~,~~ Furthermore, soccer is a dynamic game featuring fastpaced activities and covering substantial distances over the course of the game. It is a physically demanding game which requires a high degree of technical skill, stamina, strength, and speed. In spite of this it is surprising that there are few scientific studies concerning the physiological profiles of soccer players. The powerful kick of a soccer ball should be considered an important factor affecting athletic ~erformance and, in addition to skillful exemetric contraction^,^^^^ as well as training at slow and fast isokinetic velo~ities;'~'~ while others have studied the effect of torque-velocity relationships and muscle fiber composition (fast and slow twitch) in elite athletes5 and strength training motoneuron excitability in human leg mus~ulature.~~'~ The aim of this study was to determine if the initial soccer ball velocity during a powerful soccer kick is related to isokinetic muscle strength of the lower extremity measured at various angular velocities: 30, 90, and 1 80°/sec. MATERIALS AND METHODScution, is the result of strength and speed.23 The Eleven Greek soccer players of the national Of strength and speed for improving team (four defenders, four midfielders, and three athletic performance is wellInforwards) were studied after their written consent vestigators have compared various strength trainhad been obtained. All athletes were tested on ing methods; concentric and eccentric versus isothe Cybex IIm isokinetic apparatus (Cybex 11, Division of Lumex, Ronkokoma, NY) at angular ve-