The Kinematic and Kinetic Changes During Distracted Landing and Focused Landing Tasks in College-Aged , Female Soccer Players

ECU Author/Contributor (non-ECU co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)

Caroline Elizabeth Yeomans (Creator)

Institution

East Carolina University (ECU )

Web Site: http://www.ecu.edu/lib/

Abstract: Soccer is one of the most popular sports in the world , and as it continues to grow in the female population there is a significant increase in leg injury risk. There are various biomechanical risk factors associated with leg injuries while landing , like higher vertical ground reaction force (vGRF). Training programs have been implemented to correct these mechanics , but the high injury rate observed in female soccer athletes questions how well the interventions transfer to game-like situations. A possible cause is that the focus of the athlete is directed internally during training instead of being externally focused on a game-like task. The purpose of this study was to determine the changes in lower extremity mechanics during a distracted landing task and a focused landing task in college-aged female soccer players. 27 participants were prepped for bilateral lower extremity 3D motion capture using two force plates. They performed 3 trials of 2 different landing tasks: the distracted landing condition and the focused landing condition. During the distracted landing , the participants landed with significantly decreased knee flexion (-13.05 ± 6.55° vs -19.26 ±7.41°) and significantly increased peak vGRF (1222.38 ± 253.53 N vs 1069.66 ± 253.11 N). The results suggest that an individual's change in focus affects their mechanics when landing.

Additional Information

Publication

Thesis

Language: English

Date: 2018

Keywords

biomechanics, injury prevention, external focus

Subjects

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