Influence of Initial Foot Dorsal Flexion on Vertical Jump and Running Performance

Abstract

Several studies (on an inclined platform or with special shoes) have reported improved jump performance when the ankle was in a dorsiflexion (DF) position. The present study aims to test whether shoes inducing moderate DF modify vertical jump performance and energy cost. Twenty-one young, healthy female subjects (30 +/- 6 yr, 58 +/- 6 kg, O2max 45 +/- 3 mLxkg-1xmin-1, mean +/- SD) participated in the study. Jump performance was tested with subjects either wearing 4 degrees DF or standard (S) shoes. The jump tests (performed on a force platform) consisted of squat jump (SJ), countermovement jump (CMJ), and continuous jumps (CJ) during 15 seconds. Measured parameters were jump height, speed at take off, and maximal and average power. Oxygen uptake was measured on a treadmill while subjects ran at 95% of the anaerobic threshold during a 7-minute steady-state period. As compared with S shoes, DF shoes significantly improved the height of SJ (31 +/- 4 cm vs. 34 +/- 4 cm, p = 0.0001), CMJ (32 +/- 4 cm vs. 34 +/- 4 cm, p = 0.0004), and CJ (17.5 +/- 4.2 cm vs. 22.0 +/- 6.0 cm, p = 0.0001). Speed at take off was also significantly higher. Mean power significantly increased in SJ and CJ but not in CMJ. Oxygen uptake was not different between conditions (p = 0.40). Dorsiflexion shoes induce a significant increase in jump performance. These results are in accordance with the concept that a DF of the ankle may induce an increase of the length and strength of the triceps surae (higher torque). However, wearing DF shoes did not require more energy during running. Dorsiflexion shoes could be used to increase jump performance in several sports such as volleyball in which jump height is essential.

Effect of 3 Different Ankle Braces on Functional Performance and Ankle Range of Motion

“…Previous research evaluating dorsifl exion and vertical jump height has shown that an increase in dorsifl exion ROM is related to an increased vertical jump height. 10,15,16 Overall, we conclude that the SAO should be considered to have little practical effect on vertical jump performance; however, more research needs to be conducted.…”

The Effect of Footwear on Running Performance and Running Economy in Distance Runners

“…Five studies were excluded for not using a study sample of distance runners only [29][30][31][32][33], one study was excluded for only comparing running shoe with running shoe plus orthotic [34], two studies were excluded for comparing running shoe with military boots [35] or spring boots [36], three studies were excluded for using short-distance running tests (18,20 and 60 m) that were not considered representative of distance running performance [37][38][39], two studies were excluded for measuring running economy while running on an underwater treadmill [40,41] and one study was excluded for not reporting running performance or economy data [42].…”

El perfil óptimo de flexibilidad en jóvenes jugadores de fútbol durante su periodo sensible del desarrollo físico. Batería ROM-SPORT

“…En este sentido, se han observado valores superiores de ROM en los deportistas con un nivel competitivo superior, lo que contribuye a un mayor rendimiento físico-técnico deportivo (Battista et al, 2007;De la Fuente & Gómez-Landero, 2019;Gannon et al, 1999;Sánchez-Sánchez et al, 2014). Estudios previos, que han evaluado la influencia del ROM sobre el rendimiento de determinados tests físico-técnicos, han observado que los deportistas (voleibol, fútbol) y adultos jóvenes físicamente activos con valores más altos de ROM en la cadera (flexión), rodilla (flexión) y tobillo (dorsiflexión) mostraban un mayor rendimiento en el salto vertical (Faiss et al, 2009;García-Pinillos et al, 2015;Lee et al, 1989;Rey et al, 2016), sprint (García-Pinillos et al, 2015), equilibrio dinámico (Aslan et al, 2018;Basnett et al, 2013;Kang et al, 2015;Overmoyer & Reiser, 2015), agilidad (García-Pinillos et al, 2015;Rey et al, 2016).…”