EFFECT OF LEG MUSCLE FATIGUE 0N INSTEP SOCCER KICK

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of muscle fatigue on the soccer instep kicking motion. The muscle fatigue was induced by repeated knee extension and flexion until exhaustion. The kicking motions of seven players were captured at 500 Hz using a three-dimensional cinematographic technique before and immediately after the fatigue protocol. We found the muscle fatigue declined the peak linear and angular velocity of the distal segment during kicking. This was most likely attributed to the reduced peak magnitudes of resultant moment and motion-depended interactive moment acting at the knee joint. These results indicated that the muscle fatigue not only declined the muscle force but also induced a worse inter-segmental coordination during kicking.