Speed-Accuracy Movement In Soccer

Soccer is a great example, of many, for speed-accuracy trade-off. Soccer shows speed-accuracy movement trade-off by the player applying both movements for the final outcome or end result to be a goal for the team, if looking at it from the offensive perspective. Some of the ramifications of speeded movements in soccer can lead to missing out on a goal, a completed pass, or even worse, allowing the other team to score a goal. It is possible with practice for anyone who has never played soccer before to actually become better and perform the task accurately, as well as soccer players. For example, I remember when I was going through my personal training school last year and we use to play soccer on Fridays because the guys saw improvement. I

For example, if a player takes a rushed shot, pass or kick at the goal, it may result in a slow or not so accurate ending for the player in an offensive position point of view. In a defensive point of view, I have seen plenty of times in professional soccer where a defender is in the goalie box and because he is rushed to kick the ball, he misses or passes the ball to the opposite team, allowing them to score a goal. In soccer they need to have the perfect balance between speed and accuracy. If the approach is slow to kick the ball, the force or velocity behind the ball will not be as strong. It does not matter how quickly you can kick a soccer ball if you always miss the goal. If, on the other hand, you are usually very accurate when you complete these types of tasks, you might try speeding up a bit to gain a greater advantage. If you miss your target too often, then you should slow down (Fairbrother,

A few minor changes but the formula can still be used today to determine an average movement time in almost any scenario. Fitts’ Law implies an inverse relationship between the “difficulty” of a movement and the speed which it can be performed. Fitts’ law has been fundamental in describing one particular aspect of the speed-accuracy trade-off, or the performer’s capability to change the control process so that speed and accuracy are kept in some balance (Schmidt & Lee, 2011, p.278). In soccer you have to outrun, outsmart and outplay your opponent, while controlling the ball, and trying to score. All that can be found by finding the amplitude of the movement, the targets width and the resulting average time will be determined. Now, Fitts’ law would only apply to the dominant foot striking the ball when the person is not capable of doing it with their non-dominant foot.

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References: Fairbrother T.J., (n.d.). Fundamentals of motor behavior. The speed-accuracy trade-off. Retrieved from http://www.humankinetics.com/excerpts/excerpts/the-speed-accuracy-trade-off

Schmidt, R.A., & Lee, T.D. (2011). Motor control and learning: A behavioral emphasis. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics

Williams, J., (2009). The science of soccer online. Trade-offs between speed, shot velocity and accuracy. Retrieved from