Interlimb Asymmetries in Football Players With Coordination Impairments: Implications for Classification and Training

Football requires complex motor tasks to be performed under intermittent conditions, often involving asymmetrical movement. In footballers with cerebral palsy (CP), asymmetries are influenced by neuromuscular impairments, yet their role in performance differentiation across sport classes remains unclear. The objective of this study was to quantify interlimb differences and asymmetries in unilateral vertical and horizontal jump and change-of-direction (COD) performance among footballers with CP and to examine variations across different sport classes.

One hundred thirty-eight international male footballers with CP, classified into FT1, FT2, and FT3 sport classes, performed unilateral countermovement jumps (CMJs), standing broad jumps (SBJs), and the 505 COD test.

Significant interlimb asymmetries were identified in unilateral tests (CMJ and SBJ) across all participants but not in COD performance. Significant interlimb differences were observed in CMJ and SBJ, with FT1 and FT2 showing greater asymmetry compared with FT3, who exhibited the lowest asymmetry percentage in CMJ (P < .05, d = 0.79-0.95). However, no significant differences were found between sport classes in COD performance or the asymmetry for SBJ and COD tests.

Footballers with CP presented significant interlimb differences in unilateral jumping, with greater asymmetries observed in players from FT1 and FT2 compared with FT3. Interlimb differences can be valuable for optimizing motor performance and the categorization of individuals with CP by impairment impact. These results highlight the relevance of assessing interlimb contributions and asymmetry patterns in motor performance, emphasizing the use of quantitative measures for evaluating impairment impact in footballers with CP.