Increased Leap Performance With No Change to Knee-Drop Landing Kinetics, Following a Verbal Cueing Intervention

Introduction: Knee-drop landings following a dance leap are often used in contemporary dance choreography, but there is limited research into the biomechanical demands of these types of landing. This study aimed to investigate the effects of a verbal cueing intervention on the performance and kinetics of a common knee-drop landing in contemporary trained dance students. Method: Pre-vocational dance students participated in this study (n = 8). A quasi-experimental research design was followed to collect kinematic and kinetic data using 3D motion capture and force plates following the take-off and during a knee-drop landing of a contemporary dance style leap pre and post a verbal cueing intervention. Performance variables analysed were jump height and flight time, while kinetic variables included vertical ground reaction forces (vGRFs) and loading rates. Results: A statistically significant increase in jump height and flight time was found post intervention; There was no significant difference between pre and post intervention for peak vGRFs at foot or knee impact or loading rate of the whole landing phase. Conclusion: The verbal cueing intervention was successful in increasing flight time and jump height, indicating optimised performance. The lack of significant difference in peak vGRFs and loading rate in the landing phase implies that the intervention did not have a detrimental effect on musculoskeletal loading. These findings demonstrate the positive influence of a verbal cue which focusses on increasing flight time and opposing the landing for enhancing the execution of a dance leap without negatively affecting the forces being experienced in the knee-drop landing that followed. However, it should be noted that the small sample size and lack of a control group in this study may limit the reliability of findings and mean that the generalizability of these findings should interpreted with caution.