Intermittent treadmill running induces kinematic compensations to maintain soccer kick foot speed despite no change in knee extensor strength

Kicking is a fundamental skill and a primary noncontact mechanism of injury in soccer, with injury incidence increasing during the latter stages of match-play. Ten male professional soccer players completed a 90-minute treadmill protocol based on the velocity profile of soccer match-play. Preexercise, and at 15-minute intervals, players completed a maximal velocity kick subjected to kinematic analysis at 200 Hz. Preexercise, and at the end of each half, players also completed isokinetic concentric knee extensor repetitions at 180°·s ^-1, 300°·s ^-1, and 60°·s ^-1. Kicking foot speed was maintained at ~19 m·s ^-1, with no main effect for exercise duration. In relation to proximal–distal sequencing during the kicking action, there was a significant increase in the duration (but not magnitude) of thigh rotation, with a compensatory decrease in the duration (but not magnitude) of shank rotation during the latter stages of the exercise protocol. In relation to long-axis rotation, pelvic orientation at ball contact was maintained at ~6°, representing a total pelvic rotation in the order of ~15° during the kicking action. Peak knee extensor torque at all speeds was also maintained throughout the protocol, such that kinematic modifications are not attributable to a decline in knee extensor strength.