Asymmetry between the dominant and non-dominant legs in the kinematics of the lower extremities during a running single leg jump in collegiate basketball players

The present study aimed to clarify the asymmetry between the dominant (dl) and non-dominant takeoff legs (ndl) in terms of lower limb behavior during running single leg jumps (rsj) in collegiate male basketball players in relation to that of the jump height. twenty-seven players performed maximal rsj with a 6 m approach. three-dimensional kinematics data during rsj was collected using a 12 raptor camera infrared motion analysis system (mac 3d system) at a sampling frequency of 500 hz. the symmetry index in the jump heights and the kinematics variables were calculated as {2 × (dl – ndl)/(dl + ndl)} × 100. the run-up velocity was similar between the two legs,but the jump height was significantly higher in the dl than in the ndl. during the takeoff phase,the joint angles of the ankle and knee were significantly larger in the dl than the ndl. in addition,the contact time for the dl was significantly shorter than that for the ndl. the symmetry index of the kinematics for the ankle joint was positively correlated with that of jump height,but that for the knee joint was not. the current results indicate that,for collegiate basketball players,the asymmetry in the height of a rsj can be attributed to that in the joint kinematics of the ankle during the takeoff phase,which may be associated with the ability to effectively transmit run-up velocity to jump height. © journal of sports science and medicine.