Abstract
Isokinetic tests have been highly valuable to athletic analysis, but their cost and technical operation turn them inaccessible. The purpose of this study was to verify the correlation between unilateral countermovement jump variables and isokinetic data. Thirty-two male professional soccer players were subjected to the isokinetic testing of both knee extensors and flexors in concentric and eccentric muscle contractions. They also executed unilateral countermovement vertical jumps (UCMJ) to compare maximum height, ground reaction force, and impulse power with isokinetic peak torque. Data analysis was conducted through Pearson correlation and linear regression. A high correlation was found between dominant unilateral extensor concentric peak torque and the UCMJ maximum height of the dominant leg. The non-dominant leg jump showed a moderate correlation. No other variable showed statistical significance. Linear regression allowed the generation of two formulae to estimate the peak torque from UCMJ for dominant and non-dominant legs. Although few studies were found to compare our results, leading to more studies being needed, a better understanding of the unilateral countermovement jump may be used in the future as a substitute to the expensive and technically demanding isokinetic testing when it is unavailable, allowing the assessment of lower limb physical asymmetries in athletic or rehabilitation environments.
Highlights
Soccer is considered a high-intensity, intermittent team sport that requires the development of multiple athletic qualities including sprinting, jumping, and changing of direction [1,2]
The main outcomes under analysis were: Concentric Peak Torque of Dominant and Non-dominant Knee Extensors (PT.Ext.R.Con and PT.Ext.L.Con), Eccentric Peak Torque of Dominant and Non-dominant Knee Extensors (PT.Ext.R.Eccentric Contraction (Ecc) and PT.Ext.L.Ecc), Concentric Peak Torque of Dominant and Non-dominant Knee Flexors (PT.Flx.R.Con and PT.Flx.L.Con), Eccentric Peak Torque of Dominant and Non-dominant Knee Flexors (PT.Flx.R.Ecc and PT.Flx.L.Ecc), Jump Maximum Height of the Dominant and Non-dominant Legs measured from ground reaction force
Our hypothesis was the presence of a correlation between unilateral countermovement jump variables and the isokinetic peak torque of knee extensors
Summary
Soccer is considered a high-intensity, intermittent team sport that requires the development of multiple athletic qualities including sprinting, jumping, and changing of direction [1,2] These physical demands generate high levels of injury risk on lower limb muscles [3]. Soccer requires jumps and locomotion with maximal acceleration over short distances, and many sports professionals have used the countermovement jump (CMJ) as a method of monitoring performance change and neuromuscular readiness in soccer athletes [6–8]. It is uncertain whether measuring jump variables can provide similar information regarding muscle function and athletic performance when compared to isokinetic assessment
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