Correlations Between Achilles Tendon Stiffness and Jumping Performance: A Comparative Study of Soccer and Basketball Athletes
<b>Background/Objectives</b>: Human tendon properties influence athletic performance, and it was shown that Achilles tendon (AT) stiffness correlates with an athlete’s jumping performance across sports. However, the findings on this relationship between basketball and soccer are differen...
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MDPI AG
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology |
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| author | Daniel Schmidt Lukas Verderber Andresa M. C. Germano Nico Nitzsche |
| author_facet | Daniel Schmidt Lukas Verderber Andresa M. C. Germano Nico Nitzsche |
| author_sort | Daniel Schmidt |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <b>Background/Objectives</b>: Human tendon properties influence athletic performance, and it was shown that Achilles tendon (AT) stiffness correlates with an athlete’s jumping performance across sports. However, the findings on this relationship between basketball and soccer are different. Hence, this study examined the relationship between AT stiffness and jumping performance in male athletes. <b>Methods</b>: Sixty-six males (24.9 ± 4.7 years; twenty-two basketball players (22.0 ± 4.1 years), and forty-four soccer players (26.3 ± 4.4 years)) participated. Reactive jumping performance (reactive strength index (RSI), jump height (JH), and ground contact time (GCT)) were assessed using drop jumps (fall height: 30 cm), and AT stiffness (supine position) was measured using the MyotonPro. <b>Results</b>: Soccer players had a significantly higher AT stiffness (826.8 ± 90.5 N/m) than basketball players (754.1 ± 80.1 N/m, <i>p</i> = 0.002), but no differences were found in JH, RSI, or GCT (<i>p</i> > 0.05). JH and AT stiffness significantly correlated in basketball players (r = 0.448) but not in soccer players (r < 0.100). The multiple linear regression indicated that AT stiffness is significantly influenced by the sport type (soccer or basketball), while age, mass, and height remained non-significant. <b>Conclusions</b>: Despite higher AT stiffness in soccer players (which can be explained by different activity regimens), a moderate correlation between jumping performance and AT stiffness was evident only in basketball. Given the versatile demands of both sports, tendon characteristics appear to have an influence on jumping performance. For future studies, investigating tendon characteristics represents a valuable addition to training and therapy scheduling. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d8c7f70d7c7e4125862726911f2cb2f2 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2411-5142 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology |
| spelling | doaj-art-d8c7f70d7c7e4125862726911f2cb2f22025-08-20T02:21:03ZengMDPI AGJournal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology2411-51422025-03-0110211210.3390/jfmk10020112Correlations Between Achilles Tendon Stiffness and Jumping Performance: A Comparative Study of Soccer and Basketball AthletesDaniel Schmidt0Lukas Verderber1Andresa M. C. Germano2Nico Nitzsche3Motor Control, Cognition, and Neurophysiology, Chemnitz University of Technology, Thueringer Weg 11, 09126 Chemnitz, GermanyMotor Control, Cognition, and Neurophysiology, Chemnitz University of Technology, Thueringer Weg 11, 09126 Chemnitz, GermanyMotor Control, Cognition, and Neurophysiology, Chemnitz University of Technology, Thueringer Weg 11, 09126 Chemnitz, GermanyProfessorship of Sports Medicine and Exercise Therapy, Chemnitz University of Technology, Thueringer Weg 11, 09126 Chemnitz, Germany<b>Background/Objectives</b>: Human tendon properties influence athletic performance, and it was shown that Achilles tendon (AT) stiffness correlates with an athlete’s jumping performance across sports. However, the findings on this relationship between basketball and soccer are different. Hence, this study examined the relationship between AT stiffness and jumping performance in male athletes. <b>Methods</b>: Sixty-six males (24.9 ± 4.7 years; twenty-two basketball players (22.0 ± 4.1 years), and forty-four soccer players (26.3 ± 4.4 years)) participated. Reactive jumping performance (reactive strength index (RSI), jump height (JH), and ground contact time (GCT)) were assessed using drop jumps (fall height: 30 cm), and AT stiffness (supine position) was measured using the MyotonPro. <b>Results</b>: Soccer players had a significantly higher AT stiffness (826.8 ± 90.5 N/m) than basketball players (754.1 ± 80.1 N/m, <i>p</i> = 0.002), but no differences were found in JH, RSI, or GCT (<i>p</i> > 0.05). JH and AT stiffness significantly correlated in basketball players (r = 0.448) but not in soccer players (r < 0.100). The multiple linear regression indicated that AT stiffness is significantly influenced by the sport type (soccer or basketball), while age, mass, and height remained non-significant. <b>Conclusions</b>: Despite higher AT stiffness in soccer players (which can be explained by different activity regimens), a moderate correlation between jumping performance and AT stiffness was evident only in basketball. Given the versatile demands of both sports, tendon characteristics appear to have an influence on jumping performance. For future studies, investigating tendon characteristics represents a valuable addition to training and therapy scheduling.https://www.mdpi.com/2411-5142/10/2/112Achilles tendon stiffnessdrop jumpbasketballsoccercorrelation |
| spellingShingle | Daniel Schmidt Lukas Verderber Andresa M. C. Germano Nico Nitzsche Correlations Between Achilles Tendon Stiffness and Jumping Performance: A Comparative Study of Soccer and Basketball Athletes Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology Achilles tendon stiffness drop jump basketball soccer correlation |
| title | Correlations Between Achilles Tendon Stiffness and Jumping Performance: A Comparative Study of Soccer and Basketball Athletes |
| title_full | Correlations Between Achilles Tendon Stiffness and Jumping Performance: A Comparative Study of Soccer and Basketball Athletes |
| title_fullStr | Correlations Between Achilles Tendon Stiffness and Jumping Performance: A Comparative Study of Soccer and Basketball Athletes |
| title_full_unstemmed | Correlations Between Achilles Tendon Stiffness and Jumping Performance: A Comparative Study of Soccer and Basketball Athletes |
| title_short | Correlations Between Achilles Tendon Stiffness and Jumping Performance: A Comparative Study of Soccer and Basketball Athletes |
| title_sort | correlations between achilles tendon stiffness and jumping performance a comparative study of soccer and basketball athletes |
| topic | Achilles tendon stiffness drop jump basketball soccer correlation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2411-5142/10/2/112 |
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