GROUND REACTION FORCES DURING PHYSICAL TRAINING IN MILITARY RECRUITS

Abstract

Ground reaction forces were measured as 8 healthy subjects performed 5 movements representative of military physical training. Movements comprised walk, run, 180o cutting manoeuvre, counter-movement jump, and landing from a 0.85m drop-jump. Maximum vertical and medial forces occurred during landing from drop-jumps. Maximum lateral force and the greatest medio-lateral asymmetry occurred during cutting manoeuvres. The rate of limb loading was greatest during running. Typically these forces occurred during the initial phase of limb loading. Gym-based training, such as the 20-metre shuttle run, form a major element of Service fitness training and testing. The results suggest that such activities stress the lower limbs more than outdoor activities such as marching and drill, or the field-based elements more common during the latter stages of recruit training.