Happy Super Bowl Sunday! Want to understand more about what determines the trajectory of a football after being punted?
The equations of projectile motion allow us to determine how far (Xmax), how high (Ymax), and how long it will remain in the air (Ttotal or hang time) given an initial kick velocity (V0) and kick angle(θ)!
Punters generally want to kick the ball with the greatest initial velocity while still remaining in control. The kick angle is a bit more complex. As you increase the angle between 0° and 45° your distance and hang time also both increase. Increasing the angle between 45° and 90° (straight up in the air), however, decreases total distance but increases hang-time. If you can control your kick angle well, the question would be whether you want to maximize distance down the field or give your team a few more seconds to run and defend!
Two variables not included in these calculations would be drag and spin. The ball will inevitably be slowed down by the air and the way it’s spinning during flight will affect by how much.
Watch today! See if you can catch some kick angles and correlate them to hang time or distance!
Posted on Instagram on February 7, 2021.