title: Influence of a preventive training program on lower limb kinematics and vertical jump height of male volleyball athletes.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the influence of a preventative training program (PTP) on sagittal plane kinematics during different landing tasks and vertical jump height (VJH) in males.
  
  
  METHODS
  Six weeks prospective exercise intervention.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifteen male volleyball athletes (13 ± 0.7 years, 1.70 ± 0.12 m, 60 ± 12 kg).
  
  
  METHODS
  PTP consisting of plyometric, balance and core stability exercises three times per week for six weeks. Bilateral vertical jumps with double leg (DL) and single leg (SL) landings were performed to measure the effects of training.
  
  
  METHODS
  Kinematics of the knee and hip before and after training and VJH attained during both tasks after training. The hypothesis was that the PTP would produce improvements in VJH, but would not generate great changes in biomechanical behavior.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The only change identified for the SL was the longest duration of landing, which represents the time spent from initial ground contact to maximum knee flexion, after training, while increased angular displacement of the knee was observed during DL. The training did not significantly alter the VJH in either the SL (difference: 2.7 cm) or the DL conditions (difference: 3.5 cm).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite the PTP's effectiveness in inducing some changes in kinematics, the changes were specific for each task, which highlights the importance of the specificity and individuality in selecting prevention injury exercises. Despite the absence of significant increases in the VJH, the absolute differences after training showed increases corroborating with the findings of statistically powerful studies that compared the results with control groups. The results suggest that short-term PTPs in low risk young male volleyball athletes may enhance performance and induce changes in some kinematic parameters.
authors: Laboratory of Biomechanics and Motor Behavior, State University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. guleporace@yahoo.com.br
authors: Gustavo
authors: G
authors: Leporace
authors: Jomilto
authors: J
authors: Praxedes
authors: Glauber Ribeiro
authors: GR
authors: Pereira
authors: Sérgio Medeiros
authors: SM
authors: Pinto
authors: Daniel
authors: D
authors: Chagas
authors: Leonardo
authors: L
authors: Metsavaht
authors: Flávio
authors: F
authors: Chame
authors: Luiz Alberto
authors: LA
authors: Batista
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001265:Athletic Injuries / Q000517:prevention & control*; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D035002:Lower Extremity / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D010806:Physical Education and Training / Q000379:methods*; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011446:Prospective Studies; D054798:Volleyball / Q000502:physiology*