CORRELATION OF THE BALL SPEED AND RELATIVE STRENGTH POTENTIAL AND EXPLOSIVE POWER OF THE LOWER LIMBS OF IN-STEP KICK OF ELITE FOOTBALL PLAYERS

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to reveal the significance of the strength component of major muscle groups and explosive power of lower limbs of elite football players in relation to ball speed upon execution of in-step kick. Methods The research was done among 42 football players aged between 18 and 19 years. The following methods were used: speed metric, tensometry, and dynamometry. The data were processed with math-statistical methods (descriptive statistics and correlation analyses). Results The structural interdependencies between different indicators influencing ball speed were revealed. The data analysis established a strong direct ratio correlation dependence between ball speed and the relative strength of hip muscles of left and right legs (r=0,703 and r=0,720 respectively). We found that the strength component affecting ball speed was more significantly influenced by the relative strength of the muscles of the hip flexors and less influenced by those of the hip extensors. There was a strong interdependence with speed-strength abilities which are related to the magnitude of the power. Conclusions All in all, we believe that the revealed specifics and guidelines for strength and explosive power influence in conditional training sessions will help increase ball speed upon execution of in-step kick.