Supervisors info:
Τσολάκης Χαρίλαος, Καθηγητής, ΣΕΦΑΑ, ΕΚΠΑ
Σαββιδου Ολγα, Αναπληρώτρια Καθηγήτρια, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΈΚΠΑ
Κουλουβάρης Παναγιώτης, Επίκουρος Καθηγητής, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Summary:
Asymmetries as we found in other studies are observed in athletes. The purpose of the current study was to investigate asymmetries in young elite male and female fencers between the dominant and non-dominant legs and correlate them with the performance in fencing. Sixteen male and twenty-two female elite fencers have submitted to anthropometric characteristics, unilateral vertical test, horizontal jumping test, lunge and step lunge performances. Also, the athletes were evaluated in isokinetic test at three different angular velocities (60°s-1, 180°s-1 and 300°s-1) to recording functional asymmetries in knee extension, flexion peak torques and flexion/extension ratios (F/E) of dominant, non-dominant legs. The results gave us important differences between genders in body height, body mass, body fat, arm span and leg’s length (p<0.05). The factorial ANOVA revealed no significant interaction between gender and laterality for mid-thigh cross-sectional areas (p=0.32, η2=0.019), as well as for performances in drop jump (p=0.62, η2=0.003), triple hop (p=0.56, η2=0.005) and isokinetic test at 60°s-1 (Extension: p=0.67, η2=0.003 and Flexion: p=0.74, η2=0.003), 180°s-1 (Extension: p=0.68, η2=0.002 and Flexion: p=0.79, η2=0.001) and 300°s-1 (Extension: p=0.54, η2=0.005 and Flexion: p=0.69, η2=0.002). We didn’t find significant differences between dominant and non-dominant legs in all cases (Bilateral asymmetries; p>0.05). Pearson r has shown us a positive correlation between high angular velocities of 300°s-1 and performances of lung and step lung in women. However, the correlation in men was negative. This conclusion shows us that young men and young women fencers may be based on differential, biochemical but mainly physiological parameters, during their efforts. In conclusion, no significant differences were observed between dominant and non-dominant legs in anatomical, dynamic and functional level.
Keywords:
Asymmetries, Fencing, Lung, Isokietic strength, Drop jump
