Volume 11, Issue 2 (9-2025)
J Sport Biomech 2025, 11(2): 162-174 |
Back to browse issues page
Download citation:
BibTeX | RIS | EndNote | Medlars | ProCite | Reference Manager | RefWorks
Send citation to:
BibTeX | RIS | EndNote | Medlars | ProCite | Reference Manager | RefWorks
Send citation to:
Darvishi S, Majlesi M, Azadian E. Comparative Analysis of Center of Pressure Responses During Defensive Landing in Professional and Novice Volleyball Players. J Sport Biomech 2025; 11 (2) :162-174
URL: http://biomechanics.iauh.ac.ir/article-1-390-en.html
URL: http://biomechanics.iauh.ac.ir/article-1-390-en.html
1- Department of Sport Biomechanics, Ha.C., Islamic Azad University, Hamedan, Iran.
2- Department of Motor Behavior, Ha.C., Islamic Azad University, Hamedan, Iran.
2- Department of Motor Behavior, Ha.C., Islamic Azad University, Hamedan, Iran.
Abstract: (247 Views)
Objective This study aimed to evaluate the center of pressure (CoP) movements during landing after a block in professional volleyball players and to compare them with novice players.
Methods In this cross-sectional descriptive study, ten professional and ten novice male volleyball players (with a minimum of two years of regular training) participated. CoP movements were assessed during five blocking conditions: static jump, step-side block to the right and left, and long cross-step block to the right and left. CoP displacement variables—including speed, range of sway, and RMS—were recorded during landing using a 3D motion capture system and force plates. Measurements were analyzed separately in the anterior–posterior (AP) and medial–lateral (ML) directions.
Results The findings indicated that novice players generally exhibited greater CoP sway and higher RMS values during landing compared to professionals. Specifically, CoP sway in the ML direction was significantly greater in novices during static and left short-step blocks. Additionally, RMS values were significantly higher in most tasks among novices. However, there was no significant difference between groups in CoP speed.
Conclusion The results suggest that novice players demonstrated greater variability (RMS) in CoP movements, even though they showed less overall sway amplitude. This pattern—higher variability with reduced sway—may reflect a "freezing" of degrees of freedom, a strategy commonly used by less experienced individuals to preserve balance. Such a strategy may compromise dynamic stability and increase the risk of injury.
Methods In this cross-sectional descriptive study, ten professional and ten novice male volleyball players (with a minimum of two years of regular training) participated. CoP movements were assessed during five blocking conditions: static jump, step-side block to the right and left, and long cross-step block to the right and left. CoP displacement variables—including speed, range of sway, and RMS—were recorded during landing using a 3D motion capture system and force plates. Measurements were analyzed separately in the anterior–posterior (AP) and medial–lateral (ML) directions.
Results The findings indicated that novice players generally exhibited greater CoP sway and higher RMS values during landing compared to professionals. Specifically, CoP sway in the ML direction was significantly greater in novices during static and left short-step blocks. Additionally, RMS values were significantly higher in most tasks among novices. However, there was no significant difference between groups in CoP speed.
Conclusion The results suggest that novice players demonstrated greater variability (RMS) in CoP movements, even though they showed less overall sway amplitude. This pattern—higher variability with reduced sway—may reflect a "freezing" of degrees of freedom, a strategy commonly used by less experienced individuals to preserve balance. Such a strategy may compromise dynamic stability and increase the risk of injury.
Keywords: Center of pressure (CoP), Dynamic balance, Landing mechanics, Volleyball block, Professional athletes, Novice players
Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Special
Received: 2025/05/2 | Accepted: 2025/06/8 | Published: 2025/06/8
Received: 2025/05/2 | Accepted: 2025/06/8 | Published: 2025/06/8
References
1. Azadian E, Eftekhari N, Mohammad Zaheri R. The Evaluation of Changes in the Center of Pressure in Different Types of Defense on the Professional Volleyball Players. Journal of Sport Biomechanics. 2022;8(3):266-78. [DOI:10.61186/JSportBiomech.8.3.266]
2. Sepasgozar Sarkhosh S, Khanmohammadi R, Shiravi Z. Comparison of the effects of exergaming and balance training on dynamic postural stability during jump-landing in recreational athletes with chronic ankle instability. PloS one. 2024;19(12):e0314686. [DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0314686] [PMID]
3. Chandran A, Morris SN, Lempke LB, Boltz AJ, Robison HJ, Collins CL. Epidemiology of injuries in National Collegiate Athletic Association women's volleyball: 2014-2015 through 2018-2019. Journal of athletic training. 2021;56(7):666-73. [DOI:10.4085/1062-6050-546-20]
4. Cassell E. Spiking injuries out of volleyball: A review of injury countermeasures: Citeseer; 2001.
5. Mohammad Zaheri R, Majlesi M, Fatahi A. Assessing the Effects of Fatigue on Ground Reaction Force Variations during Landing after a Spike in Professional Volleyball Players. Journal of Sport Biomechanics. 2024;10(1):54-68. [DOI:10.61186/JSportBiomech.10.1.54]
6. Gupta D, Jensen JL, Abraham LD. Biomechanics of hang-time in volleyball spike jumps. Journal of Biomechanics. 2021;121:110380. [DOI:10.1016/j.jbiomech.2021.110380] [PMID]
7. Zaheri RM, Majlesi M, Azadian E, Fatahi A. KINEMATIC AND KINETIC EVALUATION OF JUMP-LANDING TASK IN VOLLEYBALL DEFENSE: IMPLICATIONS FOR ACL INJURY RISK ASSESSMENT. Kinesiologia Slovenica. 2022;28(1):141-55. [DOI:10.52165/kinsi.28.1.141-155]
8. Wang J, Qin Z, Zhang Q, Wang J. Lower limb dynamic balance, strength, explosive power, agility, and injuries in volleyball players. Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Research. 2025;20(1):211. [DOI:10.1186/s13018-025-05566-w] [PMID]
9. Zemková E, Kováčiková Z. Sport-specific training induced adaptations in postural control and their relationship with athletic performance. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. 2023;16:1007804. [DOI:10.3389/fnhum.2022.1007804] [PMID]
10. Ko JH, Han DW, Newell KM. Skill level constrains the coordination of posture and upper-limb movement in a pistol-aiming task. Human movement science. 2017;55:255-63. [DOI:10.1016/j.humov.2017.08.017] [PMID]
11. Borzucka D, Kręcisz K, Rektor Z, Kuczyński M. Postural control in top-level female volleyball players. BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation. 2020;12:1-6. [DOI:10.1186/s13102-020-00213-9] [PMID]
12. Kawakami Y, Yonetani Y, Takao R, Ogasawara I, Mae T, Nakata K, et al. Reproducibility of dynamic body balance measurement by center of foot pressure analysis immediately after single-leg hop landing. The Kurume Medical Journal. 2016;62(3.4):41-6. [DOI:10.2739/kurumemedj.MS65012] [PMID]
13. Iandolo R, Bellini A, Saiote C, Marre I, Bommarito G, Oesingmann N, et al. Neural correlates of lower limbs proprioception: An fMRI study of foot position matching. Human brain mapping. 2018;39(5):1929-44. [DOI:10.1002/hbm.23972] [PMID]
14. Alavi Mehr SM, Jafarnezhadgero A, Majlesi M. The Immediate Effect of Medical Insole on Loading Rate, Impulse, and Free Moment in Male Children with Flat Foot: A clinical trial. Journal of Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences. 2018;17(1):27-38.
15. Bernsteĭn N. The co-ordination and regulation of movements. PergamonPress Ltd. 1967.
16. Davids K, Bennett S, Newell KM. Movement system variability: Human kinetics; 2006. [DOI:10.5040/9781492596851]
17. Caballero C, Barbado D, Urbán T, García-Herrero JA, Moreno FJ. Functional variability in team-handball players during balance is revealed by non-linear measures and is related to age and expertise level. Entropy. 2020;22(8):822. [DOI:10.3390/e22080822] [PMID]
18. Carpenter M, Murnaghan C, Inglis J. Shifting the balance: evidence of an exploratory role for postural sway. Neuroscience. 2010;171(1):196-204. [DOI:10.1016/j.neuroscience.2010.08.030] [PMID]
19. Wikstrom EA, Tillman MD, Schenker SM, Borsa PA. Jump-landing direction influences dynamic postural stability scores. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport. 2008;11(2):106-11. [DOI:10.1016/j.jsams.2007.02.014] [PMID]
20. Stergiou N, Decker LM. Human movement variability, nonlinear dynamics, and pathology: is there a connection? Human movement science. 2011;30(5):869-88. [DOI:10.1016/j.humov.2011.06.002] [PMID]
21. Lipsitz LA, Goldberger AL. Loss of'complexity'and aging: potential applications of fractals and chaos theory to senescence. Jama. 1992;267(13):1806-9. [DOI:10.1001/jama.1992.03480130122036]
22. Stergiou N, Yu Y, Kyvelidou A. A perspective on human movement variability with applications in infancy motor development. Kinesiology Review. 2013;2(1):93-102. [DOI:10.1123/krj.2.1.93]
23. Akbaş A, Marszałek W, Drozd S, Czarny W, Król P, Warchoł K, et al. The effect of expertise on postural control in elite sport ju-jitsu athletes. BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation. 2022;14(1):86. [DOI:10.1186/s13102-022-00477-3] [PMID]
| Rights and permissions | |
 |
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. |
Journal of Sport Biomechanics
Department of Sport Biomechanics, Faculty of Humanities, Islamic Azad University, Hamedan Branch, Prof. Mousivand Blvd, Imam Khomeini Blvd, Hamedan, Iran.
Journal Tel: +98 81 34494042
Website: http://biomechanics.iauh.ac.ir
Email: sportbiomechanics@iauh.ac.ir
