Comparison of multidirectional jump performance and lower limb passive range of motion profile between soccer and basketball young players

Abstract

This study was performed aimed at comparing multidirectional bilateral and unilateral jump performance and passive range of motion (ROM) of lower limbs between soccer and basketball young players and evaluating associations between inter-limb ROM asymmetry and bilateral jump performance. A total of 67 young male athletes participated in this study, who were classified as soccer (n = 40; 15.55 ± 1.5 y; 1.76 ± 0.12 m; 58.15 ± 10.82 kg; 19.84 ± 2.98 kg·m2) and basketball (n = 27; 15.7 ± 1.66 y; 1.76 ± 0.12 m; 62.33 ± 16.57 kg; 19.84 ± 2.98 kg·m2) players. Participants were asked to perform bilateral and unilateral multidirectional jumps, and passive ROM of hip (flexion, extension and abduction), knee (flexion) and ankle (dorsiflexion) joints was also assessed. Significant between-group differences were observed for hip extension with flexed knee ROM in dominant (soccer: 142.43 ± 7.74°; basketball: 148.63 ± 8.10°) and non-dominant (soccer: 144.38 ± 8.36°; basketball: 148.63 ± 6.45°) legs; hip flexion with flexed knee ROM in dominant (soccer: 13.26 ± 4.71°; basketball: 9.96 ± 3.42°) and non-dominant (soccer: 12.86 ± 4.55°; basketball: 9.70 ± 3.62°) legs; and for the ratio of hip abduction (soccer: 1.02 ± 0.08; basketball: 0.97 ± 0.11). However, no significant between-group differences were observed for bilateral and unilateral jump capacity, or for inter-limb asymmetries (dominant vs. non-dominant leg). Finally, no associations were observed between ROM ratio (dominant vs. non-dominant leg) and bilateral jump performance. These findings lead to the suggestion that differences on passive ROM values in young male athletes may be sport-specific. Additionally, there seems to be need for the implementation of training strategies specifically aimed at improving bilateral or unilateral jump ability, or at diminishing inter limb passive ROM differences in order to improve multidirectional jump performance for neither soccer nor basketball youth male players.

The Ankle Joint Range of Motion and Its Effect on Squat Jump Performance with and without Arm Swing in Adolescent Female Volleyball Players

“…Thus, during knee flexion, the gastrocnemius muscle is relaxed due to its attachment on the femur and thus it is not that resistant to the non-weight bearing ankle dorsiflexion [ 51 ]. The absence of significant lateral differences concerning the ankle ROM confirms previous observations in various sports [ 28 , 43 , 52 ]. However, the non-significant trend noted for larger values of passive ROM for the left ankle, along with lower active ankle ROM compared to the right leg, can be attributed to the sport specific demands of the volleyball jumps that are different for each lower limb.…”

Relationship of Vertical Jump Performance and Ankle Joint Range of Motion: Effect of Knee Joint Angle and Handedness in Young Adult Handball Players

“…The results of the ROM measurements reveal no significant inter-limb differences except the active ROM when the knee was flexed at a 40 • angle. The absence of an interlimb difference confirms past findings concerning the flexibility [32,33,52,53] and isokinetic torque [54] of handball players. In general, no inter-limb ankle ROM differences have been reported in populations of various sports background [8,[26][27][28][29][30][31].…”

Force-plate derived predictors of lateral jump performance in NCAA Division-I men’s basketball players

“…Jump assessments, such the countermovement jump (CMJ) [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18], are frequently used to quantify an athlete's lower extremity neuromuscular ability. These assessments have shown benefits for evaluating sport-specific performance [1, 4, 6-8, 16, 18-22], assessing neuromuscular readiness and fatigue [2,3], and guiding return-to-sport recommendations [23].…”