the-BA : Bend it like Beckham

Who’s the greatest free-kick taker of them all? Is it the diminutive Gianfranco Zola? What about Gazza in his heyday? Or would you suggest the greatest player in the world, Zinedine Zidane? It could be an ongoing debate. But I’m sure if a poll was conducted most Britons would pick someone else: David Beckham. And there’d be few arguments here.

Have you ever wondered how Beckham gets so much bend on the ball?

You might like to …

• investigate how it’s possible for a football – or cricket ball, or baseball etc. – to bend as it flies through the air
• design a procedure to test if certain types of ball bend more than others
• design a procedure to work out if the type of football boot makes a difference to the bend on the ball
• find out if certain types of materials (leather, plastics) are better for football boots
• conduct some tests to see what external factors affect a sportsman’s free kick or penalty taking abilities (alternatively, look at other sports, such as scoring a basket in netball, or throwing darts at a dartboard).

Further links:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/hottopics/football/

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