Britannica’s Football (Soccer) Set Piece Game Use physics to bend the ball like Beckham Written by Tushaar Kuthiala Tushaar Kuthiala has over a decade of experience in news media, content creation, and digital marketing. Over the course of his career, Tushaar has written features and articles on sports, geopolitics,... Tushaar Kuthiala Fact-checked by Britannica Editors Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Britannica Editors Last updated May 22, 2026 •History Have you ever seen a football swerve through the air and sail into the net past a desperately diving goalkeeper? It’s not magic, just physics! Football (soccer) players can make the ball move through the air in various ways by striking it at precise angles to generate extreme spin; aerodynamics and gravity then do the rest, producing a seemingly impossible curving shot or pass. The scientific principles at play include the Magnus effect, which is...

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