ObjectiveTo explore football coaches’ beliefs and attitudes about injury prevention and the 11+ injury prevention programme, and to investigate factors that may influence adherence to the 11+ injury prevention programme.MethodsA total of 538 football coaches who had completed an injury prevention education workshop were invited to participate in a web-based nationwide survey. The survey questions explored beliefs and attitudes about injury prevention and the 11+ injury prevention programme, self-reported adherence to the 11+ programme, as well as perceived barriers and facilitators to the use of the 11+ programme.ResultsThere were 158 respondents. The majority believe that injury prevention is part of their coaching role (94%) that a structured warm-up is an important part of their team’s preparation for training and games (96%), and that the 11+ is effective (92%). While most respondents (95%) use the 11+, modifications are common. Participants with greater coaching experience are more likely to use the programme. Time constraints are the main barriers to adherence, while knowing that the programme enhances performance is seen as a major facilitator.ConclusionsCoaches who attended an injury prevention workshop have positive attitudes towards injury prevention and the 11+ programme. However, coaches with less coaching experience may be less likely to use the 11+ and could therefore be the target population for future education workshops. Promoting the performance enhancing effects of the 11+ and encouraging modifications could improve acceptability and adherence.

Achieving the maximum possible impact force of the front kick can be related to the isokinetic lower limb muscle strength. Therefore, we aimed to determine the regression model between kicking performance and the isokinetic peak net moment of hip rotators, flexors, and hip extensors and flexors at various speeds of contraction. Twenty-five male soldiers (27.7 ± 7.2 yrs, 83.8 ± 6.1 kg, 180.5 ± 6.5 cm) performed six barefoot front kicks, where impact forces (N) and kick velocity (m∙s-1) were measured. The 3D kinematics and isokinetic dynamometry were used to estimate the kick velocity, isokinetic moment of kicking lower limb hip flexors and extensors (60, 120, 240, 300°∙s-1), and stance lower limb hip internal and external rotators (30, 90°∙s-1). Multiple regression showed that a separate component of the peak moment concentric hip flexion and extension of the kicking lower limb at 90°∙s-1 can explain 54% of the peak kicking impact force variance (R2 = 0.54; p < 0.001). When adding the other 3 components of eccentric and concentric hip internal and external rotations at 30°∙s-1, the internal and external hip rotation ratios at 30°∙s-1 on the stance limb and the concentric ratio of kicking limb flexion and extension at 300°∙s-1 that explained the variance of impact force were 75% (p = 0.003). The explosive strength of kicking limb hip flexors and extensors is the main condition constraint for kicking performance. The maximum strength of stance limb internal and external rotators and speed strength of kicking limb hip flexors and extensors are important constraints of kicking performance that should be considered to improve the front kick efficiency.

Front kicks are often used in combat activities that involve the use of kicks and punches, including close combat military training. To mimic real-life combative environments where soldiers execute forceful front kicks while wearing military boots, it is logical to wear these boots during close combat training. However, the effect of military footwear on front kick forces remain unknown. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare the effects of military boots on front kick dynamics. Six male soldiers (23.3 ± 1.7 yr, 74.3 ± 6.2 kg, 175.5 ± 4.5 cm) performed eight individual front kicks with no military boots, in bare feet (NB) and with military boots (MB). Peak force (N), impulse (N.s) and time to reach peak force (ms), were measured during each kick. Data were analyzed using paired sample t-tests or nonparametric Wilcoxon pair test and Cohen's d. Results. Neither peak force (3180 ± 647 N) nor impulse (367 ± 40 N.s) of MB were different than NB (3157 ± 291 N and 360 ± 48 N.s, respectively) (p = 0.85; d = 0.04 and p = 0.36; d = 0.12, respectively). Peak force was reached in a significantly shorter time during MB (39 ± 16 ms) compared to NB (56 ± 8 ms; d = −0.88). Conclusion. Peak force was reached in a shorter time using MB compared to barefoot (NB) front kicks. The use of military boots changes the time course of peak force during the front kick.

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The study is focused on the dynamic response of head and thoracic area of an anthropomorphic test device (ATD) during low-impact collisions with a tram. Two collision scenarios were analysed: the frontal impact (a chest as a primary contact area) and side impact (a thigh as a primary contact area). The measurements used a pedestrian dummy (Hybrid III 50 th percentile male dummy, Jasti Co., ltd., Tokyo, Japan) and a unique pendulum impact testing machine (impactor) of own design. The crash tests were conducted at various impact intensities (velocities) into the chest and left thigh of dummy. The primary outcome variable was a resultant magnitude of acceleration measured in the area of thoracic vertebra Th5 and on the vertex of head. The differences between both areas of interest were analysed as well. The results provide the analysis of dynamic behaviour of head and chest of the dummy at low impacts, the validation of impactor for crash-test analyses and a possible way to verify the use of dummy in similar experimental settings.

The goal of the study was to conduct a preliminary analysis of the kinematics of tram-pedestrian collision in case of a side impact. A T6A5-type tram, travelling at the speed of 10 km/h, was used for the analysis and reconstruction of the collision. The pedestrian response was analysed using a crash-test dummy. The postimpact dummy movement was approximated by the motion of its centre of mass (COM) and only the translation movement in the frontal plane of dummy (along the horizontal and vertical axes) was considered. The results showed a significant change of coefficient of restitution after the initial impact. At first, the coefficient of restitution was high (e = 0.94), suggesting an almost perfectly elastic collision, followed by a sharp decrease (e = 0.07) within a short period of time (t = 0.02 s) that suggested an almost perfectly inelastic collision. After that, the coefficient of restitution reached a plateau phase with the values ranging from 0.18 to 0.32 and corresponding to a percentage loss of kinetic energy falling within 89 % and 97 %. The preliminary analysis of this study highlighted some features of side-impact tram-pedestrian collision and its kinematics.

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