Cíntia França^1,2,3, Francisco Martins^1,2, Diogo V. Martinho⁴, Andreas Ihle^5,6,7, Adilson Marques^8,9, Hugo Sarmento⁴, Filipe Manuel Clemente^10,11, Krzysztof Przednowek¹², Pedro Campos^2,13,14, Élvio Rúbio Gouveia^1,2,6

¹Department of Physical Education and Sport, University of Madeira, Funchal, Portugal
²LARSYS, Interactive Technologies Institute, Funchal, Portugal
³Research Center in Sports Sciences, Health Sciences, and Human Development (CIDESD), Vila Real, Portugal
⁴University of Coimbra, Research Unit for Sport and Physical Education (CIDAF), Faculty of Sport Sciences and Physical Education, Coimbra, Portugal
⁵Department of Psychology, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
⁶Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Gerontology and Vulnerability, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
⁷Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research LIVES—Overcoming Vulnerability: Life Course Perspectives, Lausanne, Switzerland
⁸CIPER, Faculty of Human Kinetics, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
⁹ISAMB, Faculty of Medicine, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
¹⁰Escola Superior Desporto e Lazer, Instituto Politécnico de Viana do Castelo, Rua Escola Industrial e Comercial de Nun’Álvares, Viana do Castelo, Portugal
¹¹Instituto de Telecomunicações, Delegação da Covilhã, Lisboa, Portugal
¹²Institute of Physical Culture Sciences, Medical College, University of Rzeszów, Rzeszów, Poland
¹³Department of Informatics Engineering and Interactive Media Design, University of Madeira, Funchal, Portugal
¹⁴WoWSystems Informática Lda, Funchal, Portugal

Bilateral Asymmetry and the Relationship Between Unilateral Isokinetic Strength and Balance Performance in Male Adolescent Football Players

Monten. J. Sports Sci. Med. 2023, 12(2), 33-39 | DOI: 10.26773/mjssm.230905

Abstract

Muscle strength and balance ability have been related to injury prevention and game actions performance in football. The aims of this study are twofold: (1) to examine bilateral asymmetries in isokinetic strength and balance assessments, and (2) to evaluate the relationship between muscle strength and balance measures. Eighty-eight male adolescent football players were assessed for body composition (InBody 770), isokinetic strength (Biodex System 4 Pro Dynamometer), and balance performance (Biodex Balance System). Paired samples t-tests were conducted to determine bilateral differences in strength and balance. Pearson correlations and multiple linear regression analyses evaluated the relationship between strength and balance. No significant bilateral strength differences were observed in knee flexors (KF) and knee extensors (KE) peak torque (PT) scores. No bilateral differences were found for balance measures, except in the lateromedial stability index, which was better while performing with the preferred leg (p ≤ 0.01; d = 0.29). Significant correlations were found between KE PT and balance tasks (p ≤ 0.01). KF and KE PT shared between 18 and 22% of the common variance in the overall stability index in the non-preferred and preferred leg, respectively. Monitoring strategies of bilateral asymmetries may be crucial to enhance performance in tasks underpinned by unilateral movements, such as changes of direction and sprints, and to identify players at risk of injury. Adopting these strategies during the early stages of football training might be crucial for players’ long-term development.

Keywords

soccer, peak torque, knee flexors, knee extensors, youth

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