Curl (association football) explained

Curl or bend in association football is a definition for a spin on the ball which makes the ball move in a curved direction. When kicking the ball, the inside of the foot is often used to curl the ball, but this can also be done by using the outside of the foot. Similar to curl, the ball can also swerve in the air, without the spin on the ball which makes the ball curl.[1]

Curling or bending the ball is especially used in free kicks, shots from outside the penalty area and crosses. Differences between balls can affect the amount of swerve and curl: traditional leather footballs were too heavy to curl without great effort, whereas lighter modern footballs curl more easily.

Nomenclature

The deviation of a ball from the straight path in the air is known as the curl, or swerve; however, the spin on the ball that causes this is also known as the curl. Shots that curl, bend, or swerve are known as curlers, or in extreme cases, banana shots.[2] [3] The technique of putting curl on a ball with the outside of the foot is sometimes known as a trivela, a Portuguese term, with Ricardo Quaresma a notable user of this skill.[4] The topspin technique of putting straight curl (instead of side curl) on a ball is known as a dip or dipping shot.[5] Putting no spin on the ball is often used for longer distance kicks, and can cause the ball to dip, or wobble in the air unpredictably.[6] The 1950s Brazilian star Didi is thought to have invented this technique, and used it frequently when taking free kicks, which were known as folha seca ("dry" or "dead leaf," in Portuguese) free kicks.[7] [8] Today it is commonly known as the knuckleball technique;[6] [9] this technique has also been described in the media as the "tomahawk", or even the "maledetta" ("accursed," in Italian).

Usage

Free kicks

Free kick takers often curl and put spin on the ball, to curl it over or around the wall of defending players, out of the reach of the goalkeeper. Goalkeepers usually organize walls to cover one side of the goal, and then stand themselves on the other side. Thus, the free kick taker has several choices, from curling the ball around the wall with finesse, to bending the ball around the wall using power, or even going over the although this last lessens the likelihood of scoring from close range.

The 1950s Brazilian star Didi is widely believed to have invented the folha seca technique;[7] [8] however, Italian forward Giuseppe Meazza before him is also credited with using the technique.[10] [11] [12] [13] [14] Today, the knuckleball technique is notably used by modern-day players such as Juninho (whose technique has often been emulated),[15] [16] and Cristiano Ronaldo, who would strike the ball with either no or a low amount of spin, causing it to swerve unexpectedly at a point near the goal.[17] [18] Gareth Bale[19] [20] [21] [22] and Andrea Pirlo are also notable proponents of this technique when taking free-kicks.[23] [24]

Corners

Curling can be an effective technique when taking corners. The ball gradually moves in the air towards the goal. This is referred to as an in-swinging corner. Occasionally, a corner-taker will bend the ball towards the edge of the penalty area, for an attacker to volley, or take a touch and then shoot. Rarely, a goal can be scored directly, this is called an "Olympic goal" and it requires amazing technique and a distraction of the opposing goalkeeper.

Passing

Curling can be used in passing. Effective passes from midfield to an attacking player are often the result of a curled pass around the defender, or long cross-field passes are sometimes aided by the addition of curl or backspin. This can be done with either the inside of the foot or outside of the foot. The outside of the foot may be used when a player is facing sideways and wants to use the dominant foot to make a pass; this technique is known as the trivela.

Causes

The fact that spin on a football makes it curl is explained by the Magnus effect. In brief, a rotating ball creates a whirlpool of air with itself at its center. Thus, the air on one side of the ball moves in the same direction the ball is traveling in, and the air on the other side moves in the opposite direction. This creates a difference in air pressure around the ball, and it is this sustained difference in pressure which causes the course of the ball to deviate.

The Magnus effect is named after German physicist Heinrich Gustav Magnus, who described the effect in 1852.[25] In 1672, Isaac Newton had described it and correctly inferred the cause after observing tennis players in his Cambridge college.[26] [27]

Notable players

Many football players are renowned for their ability to curl or bend the ball when passing or shooting at goal, either from open play or a free kick. These include: Pelé, Didi, Rivellino, Zico, Diego Maradona, Michel Platini, Roberto Baggio, Alessandro Del Piero, Gianfranco Zola, Michael Gregoritsch, Siniša Mihajlović, Zinedine Zidane, Rivaldo, David Beckham, Roberto Carlos, Juninho, Ronald Koeman, Andrea Pirlo, Ricardo Quaresma, Gareth Bale, Philippe Coutinho, Ronaldinho, Thierry Henry, Neymar, Kaká, Miralem Pjanić, Rogério Ceni, Shunsuke Nakamura, Pierre van Hooijdonk, Hristo Stoichkov, Thomas Murg, Luis Chávez, Carlos Vela, Cristiano Ronaldo, Luka Modrić, Giuseppe Meazza, Ángel Di María, Kevin De Bruyne and Lionel Messi, among others.

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2019-12-27. How to Curve a Soccer Ball. 2020-10-05. The Instep. en-US. 2020-10-12. https://web.archive.org/web/20201012235139/https://www.soccerpro.com/theinstep/how-to-curve-a-soccer-ball/. live.
  2. Web site: Twitter Reacts as Roberto Carlos Almost Recreates Famous Banana Free Kick . 90min.com . 11 August 2019 . 29 July 2022 . 29 July 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220729010409/https://www.90min.com/in/posts/6430788-twitter-reacts-as-roberto-carlos-almost-recreates-famous-banana-free-kick . dead .
  3. News: Bend it like a Brazilian . the Guardian . 19 May 2002 . 29 July 2022 .
  4. News: Quaresma chooses liberation over conformity with outside of his boot. Barney. Ronay. Barney Ronay. 29 June 2018. The Guardian. 13 April 2022.
  5. Web site: How To Score a Dipping Shot The Ultimate Guide To Shooting With Dip.. . 6 September 2018 . 2018-12-30. 2020-05-01. https://web.archive.org/web/20200501212033/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oJ8oIudXYs&gl=US&hl=en. live.
  6. Web site: Who is the free-kick master? . FIFA.com . 30 October 2007 . 27 April 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080418062530/http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/news/newsid%3D625416.html . 18 April 2008 .
  7. Web site: Didi. The Guardian. Brian Glanville. 15 May 2001. 21 February 2017.
  8. Web site: Didi. The Telegraph. 21 February 2017. 15 May 2001.
  9. Web site: Top 10 Knuckleball Goals. . 25 March 2017 . 2018-12-30. 2019-03-22. https://web.archive.org/web/20190322092342/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00fcef8z0z0&gl=US&hl=en. live.
  10. Web site: The inimitable Giuseppe Meazza. https://web.archive.org/web/20191026180026/https://www.fifa.com/mensyoutholympic/news/y%3D2011/m%3D1/news%3Dthe-inimitable-giuseppe-meazza-1363217.html. dead. October 26, 2019. FIFA.com. 21 January 2015.
  11. Web site: Pele to Zico to Beckham to Ronaldo: Evolution of the Free-Kick Masters . Bleacher Report . Tidey . Will . 23 March 2013 . 26 October 2019 .
  12. Web site: Giuseppe Meazza. Magliarossonera.it. it. 3 January 2016.
  13. Web site: Technical gifts . www.giuseppemeazza.it . 26 October 2019 .
  14. Web site: Giuseppe Meazza: Champion of the world . ESPN FC . Hackett . Robin . 13 September 2012 . 26 October 2019 .
  15. Web site: Noughty Boys: No one hit a free-kick quite like Juninho Pernambucano . BBC Sport . Anka . Carl . 16 December 2018 . 26 October 2019 .
  16. News: Ranking the 16 Greatest Free-Kick Takers of All Time . 15 October 2020 . Bleacher Report . 6 August 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200806214301/https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1886357-ranking-the-16-greatest-free-kick-takers-of-all-time . live .
  17. News: The best free-kick taker EVER: Juninho Pernambucano on how he got so good . 15 October 2020 . Four Four Two . 10 January 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210110004758/https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/best-free-kick-taker-ever-juninho-pernambucano-how-he-got-so-good . live .
  18. News: The Top 15 Best Shooters in World Football . 15 October 2020 . Bleacher Report.
  19. News: Wilson. Jeremy. 2016-06-19. Gareth Bale's free-kick secrets - and how he is on the brink of history at Euro 2016. en-GB. The Telegraph. 2020-10-05. 0307-1235. 2020-10-08. https://web.archive.org/web/20201008025812/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2016/06/19/gareth-bales-free-kick-secrets---and-how-is-on-the-brink-of-hist/. live.
  20. Web site: Patterson. Mark. 21 December 2013. Real Madrid's Gareth Bale Gives a Free Kick Masterclass. 5 October 2020. Bleacher Report. en. 23 January 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140123131934/http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1897315-real-madrids-gareth-bale-gives-a-free-kick-masterclass. live.
  21. Web site: 20 June 2016. Gareth Bale explains why he has altered his free-kicks in Euro 2016. 5 October 2020. Sky Sports. 9 October 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201009232619/https://www.skysports.com/football/news/19692/10319278/gareth-bale-explains-why-he-has-altered-his-free-kicks-in-euro-2016. live.
  22. Web site: Set-piece dilemma: CR7 Tomahawk vs Bale Knuckleball . as.com . Pedro P. . San Martín . 14 September 2013 . 13 December 2018 . 1 December 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131201142301/https://as.com/diarioas/2013/09/14/english/1379173980_744863.html . dead .
  23. News: Juventus: Pirlo, ma che punizione hai tirato? La maledetta che sfida la fisica. La Gazzetta dello Sport. it. Gerna. Jacopo. 11 November 2013. 21 January 2015.
  24. Web site: Mestre de Pirlo, Juninho Pernambucano ensinou italiano a bater falta . . pt. Mauricio. Stycer. 11 June 2014.
  25. G. Magnus (1852) "Über die Abweichung der Geschosse," Abhandlungen der Königlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin, pages 1-23.
  26. Isaac Newton, "A letter of Mr. Isaac Newton, of the University of Cambridge, containing his new theory about light and color," Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, vol. 7, pages 3075-3087 (1671-1672). (Note: In this letter, Newton tried to explain the refraction of light by arguing that rotating particles of light curve as they moved through a medium just as a rotating tennis ball curves as it moves through the air.)
  27. Gleick, James. 2004. Isaac Newton. London: Harper Fourth Estate.
  28. Web site: Bend it Like Beckham: The football comedy that launched Keira Knightley's career . Goal.com . Ronan Murphy . 15 January 2018 . 13 December 2018 . 15 December 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181215223107/https://www.goal.com/en/news/bend-it-like-beckham-the-football-comedy-that-launched-keira/6elsr6qihq6z12eyh331dh81u . live .
  29. http://www.cbc.ca/murdochmysteries/episodes/season-10/bend-it-like-brackenreid “Season 10 - Bend It Like Brackenreid - Murdoch Mysteries“

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