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Anticipatory balance control is affected by loadless training experiences.
G Robert1, N Gueguen, P Avogadro
1Laboratoire Mouvement et Perception, Faculté des Sciences du Sport, Université de la Méditerranée & CNRS, 163 av. de Luminy, F-13288 Marseille Cédex 9, France.
Human Movement Science
|October 12, 2004
Summary
Swimmers exhibit enhanced lateral balance control compared to triathletes and untrained individuals, suggesting water-based training significantly impacts equilibrium maintenance during leg movements. This highlights the effect of training without equilibrium constraints.
Area of Science:
- Biomechanics
- Sports Science
- Motor Control
Background:
- Balance control is crucial for dynamic movements like leg actions.
- Sports training may influence the strategies used to maintain equilibrium.
- Understanding how different training types affect balance is important for performance and injury prevention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of sports training on balance control during leg movements.
- To compare the balance control strategies of untrained individuals, triathletes, and swimmers.
- To determine if general sports training or training without equilibrium constraints has a greater effect on balance.
Main Methods:
- Comparison of balance control between control (untrained) subjects, triathletes, and swimmers.
- Analysis of center of mass (CM) and center of pressure (CP) shifts during leg movements.
- Assessment of tasks including leg raising and obstacle avoidance.
Main Results:
- Swimmers showed significantly greater lateral ground pressure compared to controls and triathletes.
- The backward center of pressure (CP) shift was similar across all groups.
- Initial control of the center of mass (CM) shift differed notably between swimmers and the other groups.
Conclusions:
- Prolonged training in aquatic environments (without equilibrium constraints) more significantly affects balance control than general sports training.
- Lateral and anterior-posterior (A/P) balance control serve distinct functions: equilibrium maintenance and movement initiation, respectively.
- Swimmers' enhanced lateral control may stem from adaptations to training in water.