Like throwing skills, kicking skills enlist different techniques, depending on the size and shape of the ball or the purpose of the kick. A soccer player applies a different technique than a punter on a football team, for instance. You can probably figure out some of these differences on your own.
Study the type of kick shown in each of these photos.
How does a goal kick or "shot" in a soccer game differ from a field goal kick in American football? How are the two kicks similar?
| Similarities | Both kicks require a great deal of control to achieve accuracy. |
| Differences | The balls differ in size and shape, which affects the placement of the kick. For a field goal kick in football, someone is holding the ball upright and still. In soccer, though, both the player and the ball are usually in motion during or just before the kick. And the player may be holding off an opponent as well. |
Now look at these two uses of kicking in sports.
| Similarities | In both sports, participants kick repeatedly, with a purpose other than moving an object such as a ball. |
| Differences | A swimmer's kick is used to propel the swimmer's body through water while a karate kick is aimed at a target--either an object or a person. |
