title: Differences in soccer players' dynamic balance across levels of competition.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Balance ability has been associated with performance and injury prevention in athletes. Few published reports have investigated the differences in dynamic balance abilities among male high school, collegiate, and professional soccer players.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To examine the differences on the Lower Quarter Y-Balance Test in male high school, collegiate, and professional soccer players.
  
  
  METHODS
  Descriptive laboratory study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Field testing.  Patients or Other  Participants: Dynamic balance data were collected for male high school (HS; n = 38), collegiate (n = 37), and professional (n = 44) soccer players during preparticipation physical examinations using the Lower Quarter Y Balance Test standardized protocol.  Main  Outcome Measure(s): For the Lower Quarter Y Balance Test, the participant reaches with 1 foot in the anterior, posteromedial, and posterolateral directions while standing on a centralized stance platform with the other foot. The test is performed for both left and  right limbs. Differences in reach distances between competition levels were analyzed using a 1-way analysis of variance with significance set at P < .05. The HS group had a greater anterior reach distance than the other 2 groups. In contrast, the HS group had less reach distance  in the posteromedial and posterolateral directions than the other groups. Also, HS players tended to exhibit a lower composite reach score than the other groups, but this difference was not significant (P = .08). No differences were observed among groups for bilateral symmetry in any  of the reach directions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Dynamic balance performance varied with competition level. This may indicate that athletes' movement strategies may be different depending on the competition level and that normative values may need to be established for each competition  level.
authors.affiliation: Doctor of Physical Therapy Division, Duke University, Durham, NC 27705, USA. robert.butler@duke.edu
authors.forename: Robert J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Butler
authors.forename: Corey
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Southers
authors.forename: Paul P
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Gorman
authors.forename: Kyle B
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Kiesel
authors.forename: Phillip J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Plisky
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D056352:Athletes; D006801:Humans; D004856:Postural Balance; D012916:Soccer / Q000293:injuries* / Q000502:physiology*; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000517:prevention & control*