Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to quantify the kinematics of landing during a typical netball movement pattern. The influence of various footwear types on the mechanics of landing and comparisons between landing on the dominant lower extremity and the non-dominant lower extremity were also conducted. Subjects included twenty-one centre-court representative netball players (mean age = 18.2 years). In all trials the majority of subjects used a leap approach to receive the ball (75.9) in combination with a heel-strike football pattern (83.6) and a vertical positioning of the trunk at landing. Subject altered the alignment of the landing limb when landing barefoot compared to when wearing shoes. When landing barefoot the subjects demonstrated significantly greater flexion at the knee, greater angular velocity of the leg but less horizonal velocity of the lateral malleolus of the landing leg compared to landing when wearing shoes. Differences between landing on the non-dominant compared to the dominant limb included significantly less ankle dorsiflexion, greater angular velocity of the leg and lower horizontal velocity of the lateral malleolus of the landing leg. The results were discussed in terms of increased efficiency in the mechanics of landing and injury prevention in netball. Verf.-Referat