General Ability and Specialization: Evidence From Penalty Kicks in Soccer

Florian Baumann, Tim Friehe and Michael Wedow
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Florian Baumann: University of Tübingen

Journal of Sports Economics, 2011, vol. 12, issue 1, 81-105

Abstract: This article revisits the 2 × 2 penalty kick game and seeks to explain differences in mixed strategies associated with different player types and the relative performance of these player types. The authors show that (a) a kicker’s general ability is a reliable indicator of his success rate, (bi) a kicker’s specialization rate increases with his general ability, and (c) left-footed kickers who present a minority within the total population are characterized by a higher success rate. Consequently, the authors establish that more able kickers show a higher degree of specialization. Their greater specialization, however, has neither an adverse nor a beneficial impact on their success rate. All the theoretical predictions are in line with empirical evidence from the German national soccer league.

Keywords: game theory; mixed strategy; soccer; penalty kicks (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2011
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:jospec:v:12:y:2011:i:1:p:81-105

DOI: 10.1177/1527002510371194

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