Differences in preparatory kinematics of planned and unplanned sidestepping

This study aimed to characterise the preparatory kinematics of sidestepping (SS) and investigate kinematic differences between planned and unplanned SS tasks. Thirty five male Australian rules football players completed an established SS movement assessment. Trunk, pelvis, knee and ankle kinematics were recorded for straight running and planned and unplanned SS tasks. At toe-off of the penultimate step the stance foot was placed across the midline of the centre of mass in planned SS (-12.5 ± 6.42 cm) and significantly further away from the centre of mass (p<0.01) than in unplanned SS (4.4 ± 4.33 cm). This study highlights differences in body reorientation strategies in SS manoeuvres and further supports the rationale for the inclusion of unplanned tasks in the development of prophylactic training programmes and injury screening.