Role of Lower Limb Muscles during Heading of the Ball by YoungProfessional Soccer Players

Abstract

Background: Football is one of the most popular sportsworldwide. Heading of the ball is an essential part of thegame. There is no much knowledge about the rule of lowerlimb muscles during the heading of the ball.Aim of Study: To examine actions of quadriceps, tibialisanterior, hamstrings, and calf muscles during the heading ofthe ball by using electromyography.Material and Methods: The actions of quadriceps, tibialisanterior, hamstrings, and calf muscles are studied by electro-myography in 15 young professional soccer players fromdifferent positions. The players headed the ball forwardlyfrom four different positions: Standing still; jumping; runningforward; running and jumping forward.Results: We found that all examined lower limb muscleswere active during the heading of the ball especially thetibialis anterior which produced more significant strengththan all other examined muscles in all different positions ofthe heading of the ball.Conclusion: This study suggests that healthy well trainedlower limb muscles especially the tibialis anterior may beessential for the accurate and effective heading of the ball inprofessional soccer players. In addition, professional playersshould avoid heading of the ball when lower limb musclesare injured especially tibialis anterior.