American Foottball: Factors of a Field Goal

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One of the most important parts about football is the kicking portion of the game. Without it, it wouldn’t be called FOOT-ball, seeing as how it’s the only part of the game pertaining to the relationship between the foot and the ball in a direct manner. Over the years, the record distance of the longest field goals has increased, mostly because we are finding out how to kick it differently that will produce a greater distance. The PAT, or point after touchdown, is almost a given because of the distance of the kick to the field goal is just under 20 yards. With kicks that are longer than 45 yards, the success rate drops dramatically for even most college and NFL players. With that being said, you can infer that with the increase in distance from the kick to the field goal, the less made field goals there will be.
First off, when kicking a football, you have to factor in several things. You need to know what the distance is from the spot of the ball to the field goal and what direction you’re kicking the ball. You also have to factor in the direction the wind and how fast the wind is blowing. If the wind is blowing towards the field goal post, it will most likely increase the distance it will travel. If the wind is blowing away from the field goal post, the distance you can make a field goal will decrease.
Next, velocity is the speed of something, or someone in this case, in a given direction. You can also refer to it as momentum. The velocity the kicker is moving will affect the outcome of the distance. When kickers kick a field goal, they don’t stand right next to the spot of the ball. They usually stand two to three yards back, depending on how far away the field goal is. With a PAT, the kicker only needs to stand back two yards...

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...dibly inaccurate.
In conclusion, there are very many factors that control how far you will be able to kick a successful field goal. There are some factors you can control, which is how you kick it, the proper form you must use to kick it, and what pressure the ball has inside of it.. There are also some factors that you can’t control, like the atmospheric pressure, wind, and the defense that is running towards you to prevent you from kicking it. Field goal kicks may seem simple and boring, but in reality is very complicated and complex.

Works Cited

physicsfieldgoals.weebly.com http://sportsnscience.utah.edu/science-behind-the-sport/sport/football/ http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Under+pressure%3A+how+does+the+amount+of+air+inside+a+football+affect...-a0141092452 http://www.physlink.com/education/askexperts/ae469.cfm http://www.infobarrel.com/How_to_Kick_a_Football

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