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The effect of overhead target on the lower limb biomechanics during a vertical drop jump test in elite female athletes
Author(s) -
Mok KM.,
Bahr R.,
Krosshaug T.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of medicine and science in sports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.575
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1600-0838
pISSN - 0905-7188
DOI - 10.1111/sms.12640
Subject(s) - jump , vertical jump , biomechanics , physical medicine and rehabilitation , football players , physical therapy , kinematics , football , athletes , medicine , jumping , mathematics , anatomy , physics , physiology , classical mechanics , quantum mechanics , political science , law
The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of an overhead target on the jump height and lower limb biomechanics in all three planes of motion in a vertical drop jump ( VDJ ) task among elite female handball and football (soccer) players. The hypothesis was that adding an overhead target to the VDJ task improves jump height, increases joint loading, and decreases frontal plane knee control. Five hundred and twenty‐three female handball and football players (mean ± SD : 21 ± 4 years, 168 ± 6 cm, 65 ± 8 kg) completed the test. The overhead target increased jumping height by 5.8%. Furthermore, the overhead target led to statistically significant changes in many of the lower limb biomechanical variables examined. However, all the changes in kinematics and kinetics were clinically insignificant, as indicated by the small effect sizes. Strong to moderate positive Spearman's rank correlations were found between the two conditions. Therefore, an overhead target is unlikely to increase the range of responses in biomechanical variables in elite female handball and football athletes.