Original paper
JUMP LANDING CHARACTERISTICS IN ELITE SOCCER PLAYERS WITH CEREBRAL PALSY

The aim of the present study was to analyse the parameters that characterize the vertical ground

reaction force during the landing phase of a jump, and to determine the relationship among these parameters

in elite soccer players with cerebral palsy (CP). Thirteen male members of the Spanish national soccer team for

people with CP (mean age: 27.1 ± 4.7 years) volunteered for the study. Each participant performed three counter

movement jumps. The characteristics of the first peak of the vertical ground reaction force during the landing

phase of a jump, which corresponds to the forefoot contact with the ground, were similar to the results obtained

in previous studies. However, a higher magnitude of rearfoot contact with the ground (F2) was observed in

participants with CP than in participants without CP Furthermore, a significant correlation between F2 magnitude

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and the elapsed time until its production (T2) was not observed (r = -0.474 for p = 0.102). This result implies

that a landing technique based on a delay in the production of F2 might not be effective to reduce its magnitude,

contrary to what has been observed in participants without CP The absence of a significant correlation between

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these two parameters in the present study, and the high magnitude of F2, suggest that elite soccer players with

CP should use footwear with proper cushioning characteristics.