Differences in sprint motion between male children and adults

Abstract

: The purpose of this study was to investigate the characteristics of sprint motion in children. Therefore, the 3D sprinting movements of male children aged from 8 to 11 years old (child group: n=20) and adults in their 20s (adult group: n=10) were measured. The child group showed a particularly low step frequency index, in which the effects of leg length were eliminated. This is one of the factors determining sprint speed. This originated from the fact that, in children, their feet land at positions further from the body at initial contact, and the hip and knee joints fl ex immediately after the initial contact.