What’s This Research About?
Core stability training (CST) is popular in athletic training programs, however, there is not much research about how CST improves athletic performance. This study looks at how female athletes who practice Capoeira might benefit from CST and how it impacts their landing kinetics. Landing kinetics are important because it is a contributing factor in lower limb injuries.
It’s important to note that this is a pilot study which means that it’s an initial study. More studies of its kind are necessary in order to test the results and before we make any broad sweeping conclusions based on the results.
Why look at females exclusively? Previous research shows that women are more susceptible to knee (specifically ACL injuries) and ankle injuries due to peak reaction forces when they land from jumps. Females have higher peak landing forces per kilo of body mass than men.
Previous research has also suggested an association between poor core stability and ACL injuries in female athletes. (Hewett et al., 2006; Leetun et al., 2004; Zazulak et al., 2007)
For female athletes in general, it’s been suggested that training which combines balance work and CST can reduce risk of injury and dampen ground reaction forces (GRF). This study looks at how CST alone impacts those characteristics.
TITLE: Six Weeks of Core Stability Training Improves Landing Kinetics Among Female Capoeira Athletes: A Pilot Study
PUBLICATION: Journal of Human Kinetics
DATE: March 2015
AUTHORS : Simone Araujo, Daniel Cohen, and Lawrence Hayes
Core stability: muscles around the lumbo-pelvic area that help maintain a neutral position of the spine, which is thought to be more stable. These muscles also help generate force from the trunk to the limbs.
Capoeira: a Brazilian martial art that incorporates elements of dance, acrobatic movements, jumps, and landings. (Similar to gymnasts, these athletes may be more susceptible to lower limb injuries due to the high impact jumps and landings.)
Ground Reaction Force (GRF): In physics, and in particular in biomechanics, the ground reaction force is the force exerted by the ground on a body in contact with it.
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