Researchers kick goals with soccer findings

University of Queensland scientists have developed a model that gives soccer players their best chance of kicking a penalty goal. After analysing strategies used by penalty shot kickers and goalkeepers, researchers developed a model that coaches can use to identify the best shooting strategy against a particular goalkeeper. Professor Robbie Wilson , head of the UQ Football Research Group at UQ's School of Biological Sciences , said the outcome of a penalty shot was determined by a complex interaction between the shooter and the goalkeeper. "Usually, a player's performance is constrained by biomechanical trade-offs but each player has a range of strategies to overcome these," Professor Wilson said. "For example, if a shooter kicks at a high speed, accuracy is decreased, and if a goalkeeper moves early, the probability they'll move in the correct direction is reduced." He said every player, including international stars like Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, had a range of kicking speeds and areas of the goal in which they were naturally better or worse. "We wanted to find out how even the best footballers could improve their chances of penalty success," Professor Wilson said. "Previous models have often focused either on kickers or goalkeepers independently, but ours examines the strengths and weaknesses of both, making it more accurate and much simpler.