Abstract
Athletes of long-term participation in specific sports tend to develop different forms, body shapes, and rhythms depending on the sports they play. In this study, we investigated the characteristics of specific adaptations affected by long-term participation in competitive sports. As a result of the better adaptation of athletes, some neuromuscular functions may be suppressed. In this study, we focused on the frequency of cyclic motion. Fortyfive female athletes and eight controls took part in this study. They performed four cyclic exercises (walking, ropejump, dribble, side-step) with their own natural rhythms. In each trial, the motion of subjects was recorded for sagittal and frontal plane movements and each touchdown was confirmed. We measured the motion-frequency of
these cyclic movements using motion analysis software (Kinovea). Motion-frequency was calculated by dividing the number of steps by the time required． All motion-frequencies were calculated by extracting 5 or 10 sequences of steps/dribbles with a constant beat. The swimmer’s group had a significantly lower walking velocity than most other groups (p<0.05). Additionally, they had a significantly lower walking frequency than most other groups. The results of the side-steps and rope-jump movements were similar to those trends of walking. In all the cyclic and rhythmic exercises, the swimmers showed a remarkably low motion-frequency. Understanding the characteristics of athletes’ motion-frequency is considered to be an important factor.
