Ankle Proprioception And Soccer Skills in Youth Recreational Players

Abstract

Evidence suggests that ankle proprioceptive ability is significantly correlated with soccer performance level. It has not been determined if ankle proprioception is associated with specific soccer skills in youth recreational soccer players. PURPOSE: to investigate the relationship between ankle proprioception and soccer skills in youth recreational players. METHODS: twenty-seven youth recreational soccer player (mean 14.8 years old, range 13-17), without ankle injury during the past 3 months, participated in this study. Their passing, shooting and dribbling skills were assessed by using the reliable and valid Soccer Skill Tests (Russell et al. 2010). Ankle proprioception was measured by using the active movement extend discrimination apparatus (AMEDA) in standing. RESULTS: Ankle proprioceptive discrimination accuracy scores were significantly positively correlated with passing, shooting and dribbling accuracy scores (r=0.52, r=0.71, and r=0.53, respectively; all p<0.01). Further, participants who had history of ankle injury beyond 3 months performed significantly worse in both ankle proprioception and shooting accuracy tests than those who did not (F1,25=5.01, p=0.03, and F1,25=5.77, p=0.02, respectively). CONCLUSION: Findings here highlight the importance of ankle proprioception for soccer skills in youth recreational soccer players. Future research is needed to determine if there is a causal relationship between poor ankle proprioception and injury history, because this is crucial for talent identification, ankle injury prevention and rehabilitation in youth soccer players.