Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 5, 2025

An Inertial Measurement Unit Based Method to Estimate Hip and Knee Joint Kinematics in Team Sport Athletes on the Field
Published on: May 26, 2020
The effect of fatiguing muscle contractions on kicking performance in experienced soccer players
Jeppe B Carstensen1, Tobias Gaemelke1, Kristian Overgaard1
1Department of Public Health, Section for Sports Science, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
Abstract:
The objective of this study was to clarify the effects of fatiguing muscle contractions of the m. quadriceps femoris on kicking abilities of experienced soccer players. 16 male professional (n = 5) and amateur players (n = 11) performed kicking tests in two conditions (fatigue and control) on separate days in a randomised crossover design. The fatiguing protocol performed with the kicking leg consisted of 5 sets of 10 maximal voluntary concentric and eccentric knee extensions. Maximal voluntary isometric contraction force (MVIC), 15 hz/50 hz stimulation force ratio (force ratio), and kicking abilities were assessed before and after completion of the fatiguing protocol or rest (control). The fatiguing protocol successfully induced fatigue of 14.0 ± 2.7% (mean ± SE) reduced MVIC and 14.0 ± 3.7% reduced force ratio while no reductions occurred in the control condition. Between group difference showed ball speed declined 2.1 ± 0.95% more following the fatigue protocol compared to control condition. On the control day shooting accuracy improved by 13.3 ± 5.6% and was numerically impaired on the intervention day by 1.0 ± 9.2%. Despite this, no significant between group difference was observed in shooting accuracy (p = 0.18). The study demonstrated that fatigue induced by prior muscle contractions impairs maximal shooting speed, but we observed no significant impairment of shooting accuracy.
Related Concept Videos
Muscle Recovery and Fatigue
Muscle Stimulation Frequency
Wave summation
At low firing rates, motor neurons induce individual twitch contractions in muscle fibers. These twitches...
Exercise and Muscle Performance
Endurance exercises
Endurance exercises involve running, swimming, or cycling, which require repetitive movements with low force output. When a person engages in endurance exercise, a few noticeable changes occur in their skeletal muscles. For instance, the number of capillaries...
Motor Unit Stimulation
The latent period of contraction marks the onset of excitation-contraction coupling, when the action potential propagates across the sarcolemma, preparing the muscle fibers for contraction. As the fibers enter the contraction phase, the...
Energy Supply for Muscle Contraction
Excitation-Contraction Coupling in Skeletal Muscles
When an action...

