Muhammad Hamdan, Raihana Sharir, Wee Kian Yeo, Raja Mohammed Firhad Raja Azidin
It is believed that biomechanical changes occur in the lower limbs because of physiological and neuromuscular loading accumulated over an extended duration and compromise the integrity of the Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL). Generally, joint kinematics and ACL loading were assessed in previous studies via a selection of unilateral or bilateral landing of dynamic tasks following a set of soccer running profile. However, very few studies have fully incorporated the ball-handling component into their investigations. The aim of this study was to investigate the lower limb biomechanical changes following a Ball-Oriented Soccer Simulation (BOSS) during unilateral and bilateral landing tasks. Seventeen (n = 17) male participants volunteered for this study. Participants were required to complete the BOSS. At selected points in the study, participants were required to perform three successful trials of bilateral landing tasks, and unilateral landing tasks to assess biomechanical properties of both the right and left lower limbs during landing. Knee and hip extension angles at initial contact and peak knee abduction moments were of interest in this study. Mixed-models ANOVA indicate no significant difference across all knee and hip angles throughout the simulation. Peak knee abduction moments were significantly higher in the left knee during bilateral landing throughout the simulation (p < 0.05), however, the situation was somewhat reversed during unilateral landings. Findings may indicate compensation strategies during bilateral landing that may mask injury risk status. Further investigation is warranted to seek deeper understanding of locomotor control and limb dominance on biomechanical injury risk following prolonged, repetitive exertions in soccer. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2026.
Faculty of Sports Science and Recreation, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Pahang Branch, Jengka Campus, Jengka, Malaysia; Faculty of Sports Science and Recreation, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Selangor Branch, Shah Alam Campus, Shah Alam, Malaysia; National Sports Institute, Bukit Jalil, Malaysia; Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, United Kingdom; Selangor Football Club, Shah Alam, Malaysia; Universitas Negeri Malang, Malang, Indonesia
