Change of direction movement is common in sports and the ability to perform this complex movement efficiently is related to athlete's performance. Wearable devices have been used to evaluate aspects of change of direction movement, but so far there are no clear recommendations on specific metrics to be used. The aims of this scoping review were to evaluate the reliability and validity of inertial measurement unit sensors to provide information on change of direction movement and to summarize the available evidence on inertial measurement units in analyzing change of direction movement in sports. A systematic search was employed in MEDLINE (Ovid), CINAHL (EBSCO host), SPORTDiscus (EBSCO host), EMBASE and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and Web of Science to identify eligible studies. A complementary grey literature search was employed to locate non-peer reviewed studies. The risk of bias of the studies evaluating validity and/or reliability was evaluated using the AXIS tool. The initial search identified 15,165 studies. After duplicate removal and full-text screening 49 studies met the inclusion criteria, with 11 studies evaluating validity and/or reliability. There are promising results on the validity and reliability, but the number of studies is still small and the quality of the studies is limited. Most of the studies were conducted with pre-planned movements and participants were usually adult males. Varying sensor locations limits the ability to generalize these findings. Inertial measurement units (IMU) can be used to detect change of direction (COD) movements and COD heading angles with acceptable validity, but IMU measured or derived kinetic or kinematic variables present inconsistency and over-estimation. Studies can be improved with larger sample sizes and agreement on the metrics used and sensor placement. Future research should include more on-field studies.
The aim of this study was to assess center of mass (COM) acceleration and movement during change of direction (COD) maneuvers during a competitive soccer game to elucidate situation-specific demands of COD performance. This information can assist in developing soccer-specific tests and training methods. Fifteen elite-level female youth soccer players were tracked for one game with inertial measurement units (IMU) attached to the lower back. COD movements in combination with situational patterns were identified using high-speed video. LASSO regression was used to identify the most important predictors associated with higher vertical peak accelerations (PAv) of the COM during COD movements. COD angle, running speed, contact, and challenge from the opposition were identified as important features related to higher PAv. This study adds to the literature on the demands of COD performance in soccer match-play. The unique approach with game-specific situational data from female youth players provides increased insight into the game-demands of COD and agility performance. PAv in games was higher with larger COD angles, increased running speed, or with contact when the player was challenged by the opposition. A larger study including more games is warranted to increase confidence in using these variables as a basis for training or testing agility.
This study aimed to examine the utility of inertial measurement unit (IMU) technology to identify angle, step-specific, and side-specific differences between youth soccer players with and without a history of lower limb injury during soccer-specific field tests. Thirty-two youths (mean age 16.4 years) who were elite soccer players (Females n = 13, Males n = 19) wore IMUs during pre- and postseason soccer-specific change-of-direction assessments. A response feature analysis was used to compare the change in peak resultant acceleration of the groups at a level of significance of p < 0.05. Statistical analysis revealed significant differences in change of peak resultant acceleration of right leg final foot contact in a 180° pivot turn (p = 0.012, ES = 1.0) and a 90° cut (p = 0.04, ES = 0.75) between the two groups. These data suggest that players with a history of lower limb injury might experience greater angle and side-specific change within a season in peak resultant acceleration when compared with injury-free athletes. This study demonstrates that IMUs may present a useful method to analyze youth soccer players’ change of direction movement after returning to play. These results can inform future studies investigating player monitoring and may prove to be a useful tool for coaches when designing individualized training programs in this population.
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