INTRODUCTION: In athletes, functional performance tests are useful tolls to identify alterations in the lower limb performance, as they have more ecological validity than lab tests. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to compare the lower limb functional performance between young footballers and non-trained young subjects. METHODS: Thirty-nine young male subjects were recruited and divided into two groups: one group was composed by 19 footballers (aged = 16.8 ± 0.83 years; weight = 69.8 ± 6.2 kg; height = 176.6 ± 0.5 cm) and the other was composed by 20 non-trained subjects (aged = 16.6 ± 0.8 years; weight = 66.3 ± 11.0 kg; height = 172.0 ± 0.8 cm). The Single-Leg Hop Test, the Quadrant Jump Test, and the Hexagon Test were used to assess the functional performance of the lower limb. RESULTS: The young footballers performed better than the non-trained subjects in the Single-Leg Hop Test, in both lower limbs (right lower limb: 124 ± 62 cm, left lower limb: 127 ± 68 cm versus right lower limb: 99 ± 10 cm, left lower limb: 97 ± 12 cm; p < 0.001), in both directions of the Hexagon Test (in the direction of the clock pointers: 5.1 ± 0.6 s, in the opposite direction of the clock pointers: 4.9 ± 0.5 s versus 6.0 ± 0.4 s, 5.7 ± 0.4 s, respectively; p < 0.001), and in the Quadrant Jump Test (32.4 ± 2.5 points versus 28.2 ± 2.5 points, p < 0.001). Within each group, no differences were found between both lower limbs in the Single-Leg Hop Test, neither in both directions of the Hexagon Test. CONCLUSIONS: It can be concluded that young football players have better functional performance of the lower limb than non-trained young subjects.
Football; Injuries; Lower limb; Functional performance
