The trade-off between distance and accuracy in the rugby union place kick: A cross-sectional, descriptive study

Little attention has been given to the rotational kinematics of the rugby union place kicking performance, especially in a field setting. The place kick is a means to score points. By maximizing the distance and accuracy a kicker is able to achieve increases in the number of point scoring opportunities available to a team. The hypothesis of this study was that there was a relationship between distance and accuracy and the rotational kinematics of place kicking performance of rugby players in the field setting. Twelve first-team university rugby players had their full body kinematics measured for five place kicks. Kick distance and accuracy were directly measured. The current study showed a positive correlation between torso (r=.76) and pelvis (r=.66) rotation with kick distance. Place kick distance (r=.24) or accuracy (r=.54) were not correlated to playing experience. Negative correlations between stance elbow flexion (r=-.78), torso rotation (r=-.74) and X-factor (r=-.79) with kick accuracy were noted. Place kick distance could potentially be maximized by improving torso and pelvic rotations. Place kick accuracy could be improved by full extension of the stance arm. The data suggests that larger torso rotations may promote kicking distance; however, they impede kicking accuracy.