Kicking is the defining action of soccer, so it is appropriate to review the scientific work that provides a basis of our understanding of this skill. The focus of this review is biomechanical in nature and builds on and extends previous reviews and overviews. While much is known about the biomechanics of the kicking leg, there are several other aspects of the kick that have been the subject of recent exploration. Researchers have widened their interest to consider the kick beginning from the way a player approaches the ball to the end of ball flight, the point that determines the success of the kick. This interest has encapsulated characteristics of overall technique and the influences of the upper body, support leg and pelvis on the kicking action, foot-ball impact and the influences of footwear and soccer balls, ball launch characteristics and corresponding flight of the ball. This review evaluates these and attempts to provide direction for future research.

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The sensitivity map of the foot will help in understanding the function of the foot as a sensory organ and could be useful in creating footwear for better balance control and for the design of comfortable shoes.

Purpose: Running shoe cushioning research has focused widely on rearfoot (RF) characteristics, whereas forefoot (FF) characteristics have been rather neglected. However, altered cushioning may affect running biomechanics and respective subjective perception at RF and FF. Thus, this research compared the effect of running shoes with different midsole hardnesses at RF and FF. Methods: Twenty-eight heel-toe runners were tested in five experimental shoe conditions that featured three segmented EVA midsoles (RF, midfoot (MF), FF). Three conditions had the same midsole hardness at RF and FF (soft (SS), medium (MM), hard (HH)). Two conditions had different RF and FF midsole hardness (soft-RF/hard-FF (SH), hard-RF/soft-FF (HS)). All midsoles featured the same MF segment of medium hardness. Vertical ground reaction forces and lower extremity kinematics during stance, subjective cushioning of the heel-toe transition and the overall comfort were quantified. Data were analysed using Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests, repeated measures ANOVA, Bonferroni post-hoc tests (p < 0.05), and effect size analyses ( p h 2 ). Results: The consistent midsole shoe conditions showed increased maximum loading rates of impact and propulsion peaks from SS to HH. Respective maximum loading rates of SH were similarly to SS, and respective maximum loading rates for HS were similar to HH. Subjectively, the consistent midsole conditions were rated according to their mechanical properties and softer shoes were preferred over harder shoes. In the varied midsole shoe conditions, SH was perceived similar to SS, whereas HS was perceived similar to MM. Conclusion: The examined biomechanical variables were influenced almost entirely by respective RF cushioning properties. The hard FF did not negatively affect cushioning perception as long as the RF was soft. Combining a soft FF with a hard RF improved inferior cushioning perception associated with shoes being hard at RF and FF.