Comparison of dynamic and static balance among professional male soccer players by position

Abstract

PurposeBalance is an important performance aspect of all athletes. The aim of this study was to compare static and dynamic balance in soccer players in different positions. MethodsForty youth and young adult professional soccer players were divided into four groups according to their playing positions: goalkeepers (GK), defenders (DF), midfielders (MF) and forwards (FW) (10 per position). Static and dynamic balance assessed on the dominant and non-dominant legs were measured using a force platform for 30s (static one-leg stand), and “Y Balance Test” (dynamic balance). ResultsGK exhibited greater ML static balance (less ML sway) compared with other players (p < 0.02–0.001). Moreover, results demonstrated better GK dynamic balance compared to DF and FW (p < 0.04–0.006). MF showed better dynamic balance than DF and FW (p < 0.019–0.007) and lower dynamic balance scores were found among DF and FW (p < 0.05). ConclusionIn conclusion, these results affirm position-specific balance performance with greater static and dynamic balance of GK and dynamic balance with MF. It is suggested that evaluation of balance and postural control performance should be considered a relevant part of the position-specific functional evaluation of soccer players.