Kicking has been described as a "throwlike" movement pattem whereby
distal segments are allowed to lag behind the proximal segments as they
move forward.' In Australian Rules (AR) footbaU, the drop-punt kick is an
important skill and must be performed with the objecflve of attaining both
distance and accuracy. Orchard et aP described the muscle acflvity during
the drop-punt kick with the use of electromyography (EMG). During the
"wind-up," when there is hip and knee flexion, the quadriceps produced a
high level of acflvity. The authors suggested that during this phase, the
rectus femoris contracted concentrically, as well as other hip flexors, and
the other quadriceps acted eccentrically to decelerate the knee flexion.
During the next phase of hip flexion and knee extension the quadriceps
were also highly acflve. In soccer kicking, EMG analysis has also shown
that quadriceps activity is relatively high during eccentric work when the
kicking leg is back in the "cocked" position