jumping

Kinesio is an elastic therapeutic agent used to cure sports injuries. The review of the literature revealed numerous studies on the usage of Kinesio tape while treating injuries, but it may also be used regularly in sports branches to improve sports performance parameters.

This study aimed to analyze the acute effect of Kinesio taping on balance, agility, and jump performance among 8-12 age-group tennis players.

The study voluntarily included 22 tennis players (age 10,32±0,95 years, sports ages 3,43±0,82 years, stature 143,21±5,66 cm, body weight 39,73±5,92 kg, body-mass index 19,33±2,39 kg/m2). Physiotherapist affixed Kinesio tape to the participants' dominant ankle peroneal muscles using the muscle technique to assess the effects of taping. Measurements took place as a pre-test before the taping and a post-test after the taping. The measured parameters were the Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT), T-Agility Test (TAT), and Vertical Jump Test (VJT). The study used the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version for IBM, 23.0 programs for the data analysis.

As a result, the test results with Kinesio tape (with KT) were statistically and significantly better (p<0.05) when comparing the balance, agility, and jump tests with and without KT cleaved to the peroneal muscles.

The study concluded that the Kinesio tape application onto the peroneal muscles by the appropriate muscle technique in 8-12 age-group tennis players had a statistically significant effect on balance, agility, and vertical jump performances.

The successful performance of block skills is crucial for volleyball players, requiring efficient techniques that optimize time, movement, and vertical jump. The purpose of the present investigation was to compare the kinetic temporal phasic differences between middle and side blockers among elite volleyball players during block jump. 

Seventeen junior male volleyball players, consisting of eight middle blockers and nine side blockers, participated in this research. The evaluated skill was the block jump ability. Data collection involved calibrating a force plate (Kistler® 1000 Hz). An independent t-test was used to compare mean values between the two groups during jumping (p<0.05). 

The results indicated no significant differences between middle and side blockers in terms of time and force during the amortization phase. 

These findings provide valuable insights into monitoring time and force variables among middle and lateral blockers. Trainers can utilize these results to tailor task-specific training programs that optimize performance outcomes.

Frequent and powerful jumps and landings in volleyball exert significant stresses on lower extremities which can be determinant of injury prevalence. This study aimed to investigate the possible correlation between Maximum Jump (MJ) performance and force-time variables of volleyball block landing.

Thirty elite junior volleyball players (Mean±SD of age: 18.140±1.125 y, sports

4.390±0.957 y, and height: 197.100±3.161 cm) performed three block jumps, and best of trials was considered for further analysis. The study data were collected by the KISTLER force platform (1000 Hz). Force-time, velocity-time, and displacement-time were obtained using the Excel program. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Pearson correlation coefficient were used for assessing data normality and possible correlations between variables using SPSS v. 21 (P<0.05).

Peak vertical impact forces were reported in a range of 1.8-3.5 BW (F1, F2) during 27 to 83 ms of peak times (T1, T2). Significant positive correlations were obtained between temporal variables of time of peaks (T1, T2), the time elapsed between peaks (TP), and end of landing time (Tf). A significant negative correlation was found between F2 and T2 and a significant positive correlation between MJ performance with peak vertical forces (F1, F2).

According to the findings, T1 has little impact on shock absorption. Coaches and volleyball players should consider the importance of soft landing through increasing T2, which decreases F2, not only for performance improvement but also for reducing injuries.

Identifying lower extremity defects during high impact activity, such as landing, especially in young athletes who play team sports, could help to prevent non-contact lower extremity injuries. The Tuck Jump Assessment (TJA) is a screening instrument designed to recognize neuromuscular deficits related to Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury. The current study investigated the prevalence rate of neuromuscular deficits during tuck jump in female and male physical education and sports sciences collegiate students.

The study subjects included all undergraduate students of physical education and sports science at the University of Kurdistan in 2018-2019 academic year (male/female =55-77, Mean±SD age: 21.3±1.7 y, weight: 63.4±12.3 kg, height: 169.4±9.5 cm, body mass index: 21.97±2.94 kg/m2, and sports experience: 4.95±3.38 y). All study subjects conducted the TJA, which consisted of continuous maximal height tuck jumps for 10 seconds. Tuck jump performance was recorded by two cameras in sagittal and frontal planes and was evaluated using the Kinovea software. The performance was scored across 10 criteria using the modified scale (0-2).

One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) results revealed a significant difference between the tuck jump scores in male and female athletes (P<0.01). The difference between male and female athletes was not significant in neuromuscular fatigue and quadriceps dominance; in both groups, the prevalence of these defects was <15%. However, there was a significant difference between the ligament dominance, trunk dominance, and leg dominance of male and female athletes (P<0.01). The prevalence of leg dominance in males (65.5%: 49.1% grade 1, 16.4% grade 2) was higher than that of the females (45.5%: 40.30% grade 1, 5.2% grade 2). But the prevalence of ligament dominance in females (81.8%: 51.9% grade 1, 29.9% grade 2) was higher than that of the males (40%: 34.5% grade 1, 5.5% grade 2). Besides, the prevalence of trunk dominance in females (72.7%: 57.1% grade 1, 15.6% grade 2) was higher than that of the males (26.3%: 25.5% grade 1, 1.8% grade 2). 

The mean score of incidence of the ligament dominance, trunk dominance, and leg dominance was ˃50% in the study subjects. Thus, it is recommended that preventive exercise programs emphasize on the correction of these defects. The correction of leg dominance deficiency is a priority among males; however, the correction of ligament dominance and trunk dominance is the priority among females.