Effects of Coordination and Strength Training on the Lower Extremity Inter-Segmental Coordination of Instep Kicking

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of coordination training and strength training on the lower extremity inter-segmental coordination during instep kicking for novices. Thirty-two male college students with no soccer-specific training experience participated and were randomly assigned to either a coordination training group, a strength training group, or a kicking training group. Each participant executed exercise training three times a week for eight weeks. The instep kicking test was performed before and after the three training sessions. Two-way ANOVAs were conducted to determine the training effects on the kicking performance and the inter-segmental coordination. The maximum ball speed significantly increased after the three trainings, but the kicking accuracy significantly increased only after coordination training. The time spent percentage of knee-ankle shank-phase coordination pattern in the leg-cocking phase were significantly increased, but the time spent percentage of hip-knee thigh-phase in the back swing phase significantly decreased after the three trainings. The co-activation of the tibialis anterior and gastrocnemius muscles significantly decreased only after coordination training. The lower extremity inter-segmental coordination during instep kicking was significantly improved after training.Coordination training may improve the neuromuscular motor control functions during the instep kicking more effectively.