Taketo Yokota, a professor of fluid dynamics at Fukuoka Institute of Technology, has solved the mystery of the “no-spin shot”, a specialty of Keisuke Honda of the Japan national soccer team. Prof. Yokota’s paper was published in the online version of the English journal Scientific Reports on May 22. According to Prof. Yokota’s research, kicking a ball with no spin creates a U-shaped vortex behind the ball that changes the position of the ball in short intervals, thus giving it an irregular wobble. The no-spin shot is a soccer technique that has garnered a great deal of attention in recent years, but according to Prof. Yokota, people considered it a “magic shot” because its underlying mechanism had not been identified. Prof. Yokota’s group began researching the no-spit shot five years ago. “Now that we know how it works, proper training methods can be established, and this will prevent injuries stemming from unreasonable practice regimens,” remarked Prof. Yokota. Source: Nishinippon Shimbun, May 25
