Lower Limb Coordination Variability in Temps Levé Sauté: Effects of Skill Level and Tempo

This study aimed to investigate the effects of skill level and tempo on coordination variability during consecutive ballet jumps (i.e., temps levé sauté) using continuous relative phase analysis. Eight skilled and eight less-skilled dancers performed the temps levé sauté jumps in first position (a fundamental foot position in ballet, one of the five basic positions in which the heels are together and the toes point outward) at three different tempos: 80 bpm, 100 bpm, and 120 bpm. Hip-knee and knee-ankle coordination was evaluated across three movement subphases: propulsion, flight, and landing. Phase deviations were used to quantify inter-joint variability, with larger deviation values indicating greater variability in the relationship between the two joints. The results showed that, during the landing phase, a significant interaction effect between skill level and tempo was observed in hip-knee coordination. Skilled dancers exhibited significantly lower variability in hip-knee coordination during the landing phase. Additionally, both groups showed increased variability at the slowest tempo (i.e., 80 bpm) when compared to the other tempos during the propulsion and landing phases. In the flight phase, however, coordination variability increased with faster tempo. These findings highlight the importance of tailored training strategies based on skill level to enhance ballet jump performance, with more emphasis on developing phase-specific coordination control and adaptability across various tempo conditions.