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EXAMINATION OF DIFFERENT FOOTWORK ON REACTIVE AGILITY: A SPLIT STEP INCREASES REACTIVE AGILITY IN A SPORT SIMULATED SITUATION

D Fitial
G Reyes

Abstract

D. Fitial, G. Reyes

Linfield University, McMinnville, OR

In most sports, reactive agility is crucial, as athletes must cognitively respond to a stimulus, then organize a movement pattern to move the body quickly to a specific location. Critical components of reactive agility in athletics are response time and recognizing how to react to certain stimuli. PURPOSE: To investigate which footwork technique is optimal for reactive agility time (RA). Secondly, to determine if there is a correlation between countermovement jump height (CMJ) and (RA). METHODS: Sixteen current competitive NCAA Division III tennis players (5 females, 11 males) were recruited as participants. One testing session for each participant recorded RA time across two conditions: starting the run with a split-step (SS), where a small jump preceded movement, or a no-split-step (NSS) where no small prep step was allowed prior to movement. The order of each condition was randomized for each participant. Finally, each subject performed maximal countermovement jumps on a force plate to collect jumping metrics to use in correlations to RA performance. RESULTS: Analysis of variance revealed a significant difference in reaction time, with the SS being quicker than the NSS (p < 0.0001). Meanwhile, the NSS resulted in significantly faster movement time compared to the SS (p < 0.001). A significant predictive relationship was displayed between RA and CMJ height (r2 = 0.47, p < 0.01). No significant differences were seen in total time between the SS and NSS. CONCLUSION: There was no significant difference in total movement time between the SS and NSS. Although reaction time was lower with the SS, movement time was lower with the NSS, making total time equal and indifferent. The footwork used when reacting to a stimulus should be based on preference and body anthropometrics. In addition, an athlete’s CMJ height could be a predictive quality for RA time, so when profiling, the qualities needed for a high CMJ could parallel what is needed for RA, so training protocols could be properly administered to improve both.

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