Acute effects of speed-jumping intervention training on selected motor ability determinants: Judo vs. soccer

© 2019, the Authors. Background and Study Aim: Material and Methods: Results: Conclusions: Judo and soccer are both representatives of complex sports where speed, power, superior motor skills, and excellent technical and tactical knowledge is of great importance. These factors strongly affect the final result of competitive performance. The purpose of this study was the effect of a short high-intensity specific speed-jumping training program on the improvement of the explosive power of lower extremities and simple, and complex responses between judo and soccer. Twenty-six athletes were divided into two groups: 13 judokas and 13 soccer players, participated in the experiment. They were tested pre-and post-implementation of the 4 weeks high-intensity specific speed-jumping training program which included various skips, bounds, hops, jumps in vertical, horizontal and mixed directions, sprints and groups of starts from lying positions on different signals: sound, visual and light. The pre-and post-experimen-tal protocol included two horizontal jumps: standing long jump and standing triple jump, and one vertical jump – lateral ski jumps to indirectly assess lower-body power, maximal running velocity; a 20 m from standing and flying start sprint. Additionally, athletes underwent a simple and complex reaction time measurement. A one–way ANOVA and an independent t-test for establishing differences between those two groups were applied. The short-term speed-jumping intervention training significantly increased the explosive power of lower extremities, both vertical and horizontal jumping improvement and complex reaction times in judokas. The substantial differences between groups occurred in the 20 m sprint from flying and standing and lateral ski jumps. Training in individual sports, such as judo, focused on improving dynamic capabilities (power and maximum speed combined with reaction time) and training in other sports, e.g., football (soccer), also focused on the dynamization of movement structures will bring similar results. In judo a short high-intensity specific speed-jumping training program could prove beneficial when intentionally used in the tapering phase with low volume and high-intensity training regime to increase explosive power and response time

The Single Leg Bridge Test (SLBT) as a field test to measure hamstring strength in young footballers

Purpose The muscle strength of the hamstrings is often reported as asymmetric in footballers and is associated with the occurrence of muscle injuries. Therefore, discriminating, reproducible and valid screening tests are sought. Methodology The objectives of this study were: to assess the muscle strength profile of the hamstrings with the Single Leg Bridge Test (SLBT) in U17 and U19 football players, to calculate the asymmetry of muscle strength and to classify the results according to 3 performance levels. This cross-sectional study included 37 young footballers, 20 U17 and 17 U19. The SLBT was performed for the left and right leg. History of hamstring muscle injury has been identified up to 2 years prior to SLBT. Results A significant difference was found between the left and right side (P = 0.01), particularly among U17s (P = 0.03). The asymmetry of strength was 23% for the U17s and 17% for the U19s. The performance considered “poor” (21–30 repetitions) was different between U17 and U19 (P < 0.05). No association was found with a history of hamstring muscle injury. Conclusion The SLBT is an adequate field test for the assessment of hamstring strength in order to detect hamstring muscle asymmetry in young footballers. This test requires little equipment, money, and can be performed on multiple players simultaneously. Classification according to performance (number of repetitions) adds practical value in order to develop individual muscle building programs based on the calculated asymmetry in the young footballers