Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of fatigue induced by a field test representative of soccer specific movements on different hamstrings:quadriceps ratios in the dominant and non-dominant legs at two different velocities. Eight male football players (age: 21.3 +/- 2.3 years; height: 178 +/- 8 cm; body mass: 78 +/- 9 kg; playing level: British University Southern conference-3B) performed a pre-test to assess the concentric and eccentric strength of the hamstrings and the quadriceps at 60°/s and 180°/s, The Loughborough Intermittent Shuttle Test (LIST) to simulate soccer, and a post-test similar to the pre-test. The main findings demonstrated significant decreases in the Hcon:Qcon ratio (calculated as the maximal concentric hamstrings strength divided by the maximal concentric quadriceps strength) in the dominant leg at 180°/s and in the functional ratio Hecc:Qcon (calculated as the maximal eccentric hamstrings strength divided by the maximal concentric quadriceps strength) in the dominant leg at 60°/s and 180°/s. In addition, significant correlations were observed between physiological parameters measured during the soccer-specific exercise and Hecc:Qcon only. These results suggested that the functional Hecc:Qcon ratio is more representative of fatigue induced by soccer than the conventional Hcon:Qcon ratio. Eccentric strength training at high velocities may be necessary to reduce injury risk in soccer players. Verf.-Referat