Relationship Between a Modified Thomas Test and Leg Range of Motion in Australian-Rules Football Kicking
in Journal of Sport RehabilitationContext:
Flexibility tests are sometimes thought to be related to range of motion in dynamic activities, but such a relationship remains to be determined.
Objective:
To determine the correlation between flexibility and hip and knee angles in Australian football kicking.
Design:
Correlation.
Setting:
Biomechanics laboratory.
Participants:
16 Australian Rules football players.
Main Outcome Measures:
Hip and knee angles of the preferred kicking leg in a relaxed position were determined with a modified Thomas test. Maximum hip extension, the knee-flexion angle in this position, the maximum knee-flexion angle, and the hip angle at this position during the swing phase of maximum-effort drop-punt kicks were determined.
Results:
Significant correlations were found between hip flexibility and maximum hip extension (r = .65, P < .01) and hip angle at the maximum knee-flexion angle (r = .70, P < .01).
Conclusions:
The data indicate a moderate association between hip flexibility and hip angles during kicking.
The authors are with the School of Human Movement & Sport Sciences, University of Ballarat, Ballarat, Victoria 3353 Australia.
© 2020 Human Kinetics