Physics of Soccer Ii: Science and Strategies for a Better Game

By Deji Badiru

Following up on the success of Physics of Soccer, this second volume, Physics of Soccer II, represents a comprehensive amalgamation of the various on-and-off-field attributes needed to be an excellent soccer player.
Deji Badiru, a professional engineer and former soccer player and coach, notes that no matter how talented a player you are, if you cant be on the field, you cant make a contribution. So, it is crucial that you get yourself prepared mentally and physically to be on the field.
Based on his personal experiences with soccer, this newest guide draws on all aspects of science, technology, engineering, math, and even the arts and humanities to help readers:
use their minds to gain an edge over opponents;
make appropriate on-field decisions based on science and mathematics;
assess the capabilities of teammates and opponents from a scientic viewpoint; and
capitalize on the geometry of the eld of play and the respective locations and placements of other players.
Badiru views the field of play as a system of people, objects, and the environment, whose respective behaviors are governed by the laws of science.
Put those laws to work for you with the lessons in Physics of Soccer II.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Apr 27, 2018
• ISBN: 9781532047220

Deji Badiru

Deji Badiru is a Professor of Systems Engineering in Dayton, Ohio. He is a registered professional engineer and a fellow of the Institute of Industrial Engineers as well as a Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Engineering. He has a BS degree in Industrial Engineering, MS in Mathematics, and MS in Industrial Engineering from Tennessee Technological University, and Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from the University of Central Florida. He is the author of several books and technical journal articles.

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Copyright © 2018 Deji Badiru.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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ISBN: 978-1-5320-4721-3 (sc)

       978-1-5320-4722-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018904396

iUniverse rev. date: 04/25/2018

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Books in the ABICS Publications Book Series

(www.abicspublications.com)

Physics of Soccer II: Science and Strategies for a Better Game

Kitchen Dynamics: The rice way

Consumer Economics: The value of dollars and sense for money management

Youth Soccer Training Slides: A Math and Science Approach

My Little Blue Book of Project Management

8 by 3 Paradigm for Time Management

Badiru’s Equation of Student Success: Intelligence, Common Sense, and Self-discipline

Isi Cookbook: Collection of Easy Nigerian Recipes

Blessings of a Father: Education contributions of Father Slattery at Saint Finbarr’s College

Physics in the Nigerian Kitchen: The Science, the Art, and the Recipes

The Physics of Soccer: Using Math and Science to Improve Your Game

Getting things done through project management

Table of Contents

Dedication

Preface

Acknowledgements

Chapter 1 Introduction

Chapter 2 Science and the Soccer Ball

Chapter 3 STEM and Sports

Chapter 4 Newton’s Laws of Motion

Chapter 5 Elements of Soccer

Chapter 6 Step-by-Step Guide to Soccer Excellence

Chapter 7 Energy and Work for the Game

Chapter 8 Soccer Motion Analysis

Chapter 9 Soccer Field Generalship

Chapter 10 Bottomline of the Soccer Foot

Chapter 11 Healthy Body Makes a Better Player

Chapter 12 Leveraging Geometry of the Field

Chapter 13 Human Performance and Game Performance

Chapter 14 Field Situational Awareness

Chapter 15 Managing the Team and the Game

Appendix: Useful STEM Conversion Factors

Bibliography

About the Author

Dedication

To Blake and Alexa

Preface

This book is written based on my own personal and direct experiences with the game of soccer. I have played several roles in soccer, including being a player, a coach, a soccer dad, a soccer fan, a soccer supporter, a soccer sponsor, a soccer league administrator, and a soccer author. The first edition of Physics of Soccer was published in 2010. It was a great hit. It was followed by the publication of Youth Soccer Training Slides in 2014. Following the cycle of World-Cup publications, this new edition entitled, Physics of Soccer II represents a comprehensive amalgamation of the various on-and-off-field attributes needed to achieve game excellence. On-field skills alone are not enough. No matter how very skillful a player is, if the player cannot be on the field, for whatever reasons, the impacts of his or her skills cannot be manifested in a game.

The book uses a systems-engineering viewpoint to integrate off-field and on-field activities as well as qualitative and quantitative analyses to facilitate game excellence. This is, truly, a systems approach to the beautiful game, leveraging all aspects of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and the arts and humanities too!

This second edition of Physics of Soccer is shorter and more concise to encourage a fast read by youths. The basic idea is to pique the interest of readers and players to further explore STEM in sports.

I anticipate that this book will whet the appetite of readers for more STEM and Sports linkages. My teaching axiom is conveyed through my personal philosophy below:

When curiosity is established, the urge to learn develops.

– Deji Badiru (Soccer Author)

Acknowledgements

I grateful acknowledge the many years of soccer friendship, mentoring, chatter, and encouragement of Dr. John Brian Peacock, a former adult soccer league teammate.

I also acknowledge the contributions of Ade, Tunji, Dami, and Timi, whose soccer-playing photos adorn many of the illustrations in this book. My grandkids, Blake and Alexa, also feature in some of the soccer photos in this book.

I thank my entire family for making soccer a family affair. Everyone has played a role in one form or another over the years.

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My family at a Physics-of-Soccer booth at the 2010 Dayton Techfest Science Fair (Dayton, Ohio, USA)

Chapter 1

Introduction

Imagine a world without sports. Without sports, life would be boringly unlivable. As long as we have sports, we might as well leverage them to develop character, teamwork, and determination to tackle the challenges of life.

I selected the title of this book, The Physics of Soccer II, to serve two purposes, figuratively and literally. The literal interpretation of the title conveys the direct functional role of physics as a scientific tool in the game of soccer. The figurative interpretation coveys the fact that the physics of something is often used to refer to how something is done; as in how to practice and execute the game of soccer. The Physics of Soccer II seeks to convey a better understanding, control, performance improvement, and player management on the soccer-playing field.

Although the primary focus is on young players, all levels of players will find it useful as a guide to how to play, appreciate, and enjoy soccer. It is never too early to introduce players to the beauty and applications of science, not only in sports, but also in other human endeavors. Soccer coaches, soccer parents, grandparents, and league administrators can also benefit from the book. It is hoped that this book can help increase a general awareness of science and technology as something we see and use every day, particularly in sports. The book can also help to demystify Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) so that young soccer players can readily embrace STEM as an exciting career path.

The approach of this book teaches soccer players to view the game from a scientific and intellectual point of view rather than just a physical undertaking. I designed the book to be fun and yet technically stimulating for young readers. The book helps soccer players to accomplish the following:

• Use their minds to gain an edge over opponents

• Apply knowledge of STEM to everyday problems, particularly sports

• Critically assess soccer game scenarios and make appropriate on-field decisions based on science and mathematics

• Assess the capabilities of teammates and opponents from a scientific viewpoint

• Capitalize on the geometry of the field of play and the respective locations and placements of other players

• Use nonverbal communication to direct or influence the motion of teammates and opponents

• View the field of play as a system of people (players, coaches, referees, spectators, supporters, detractors), objects (soccer ball, the pitch, goal posts), and the environment, whose respective behaviors are governed by the laws of science

• Quickly assess the implications of directional motions of opponents, teammates, and the ball on the field during a game

• Develop a high emotional control, based on a better understanding and control of the game scenarios

• Enjoy the applications of physics to the game of soccer and leverage the enjoyment to build interest in further studies of science and mathematics

• Use the team organization, cooperation, and spirit learned in soccer to develop other life skills in group settings

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The advocacy for linking STEM and Sports has been carried out through my various sponsorships and presentations at soccer tournaments and science fairs.

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Soccer’s Glorious Origin

Human beings, by nature, have inherent tendencies to kick things. Soccer represents a demonstration of the physical needs of humans to kick and throw things. Humans evolved with natural instincts to kick, throw, push, pull, and punch things. The origin of soccer is debatable, but there are several non-documented historical accounts of where and when the game of soccer originated. There are national sentimental accounts of soccer originating in Asia as far back as 2,500 BC. There are even oral accounts of ancient Africans playing something similar to modern soccer by kicking coconuts bare feet on sandy beaches around African coasts. It is generally accepted that modern soccer originated in England. Even though there might have been contemporaneous developments of soccer-like games around the world, England provided the best organized, documented, and consistent development of the game. England, thereby, led the way for the rest of the world. Consequently, by default, many parts of the world recognize England as the most-developed origin of soccer.

England Football Association (EFA), the world’s oldest football association, was formed in London in the middle of nineteenth century. The current governing body for soccer, Fédération Internationale de Football Association, FIFA), was established in 1904 by seven European countries (Belgium, Denmark, France, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland) and it is currently headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland. Although soccer is the popular name for the game in the USA, the vast majority of the world calls the game football, which accurately describes the bodily action of how the game is played.

Soccer has grown rapidly over the years and it is indisputably the most played sport in the world. There