Single leg balance training promotes significant increments in balance control, but previous reviews on balance control have not analyzed this form of balance training. Accordingly, we aimed to review the single leg balance training literature to better understand the effects of applying this training to healthy individuals. We searched five databases—PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, Lilacs, and Scielo—with the following inclusion criteria: (a) peer-reviewed articles published in English; (b) analysis of adult participants who had no musculoskeletal injuries or diseases that might impair balance control; and (c) use of methods containing at least a pre-test, exclusive single leg balance training, and a post-test assessment. We included 13 articles meeting these criteria and found that single leg balance training protocols were effective in inducing balance control gains in either single- or multiple-session training and with or without progression of difficulty. Balance control gains were achieved with different amounts of training, ranging from a single short session of 10 minutes to multiple sessions totaling as much as 390 min of unipedal balance time. Generalization of balance gains to untrained tasks and cross-education between legs from single leg balance training were consistent across studies. We concluded that single leg balance training can be used in various contexts to improve balance performance in healthy individuals. These results extend knowledge of expected outcomes from this form of training and aid single leg balance exercise prescription regarding volume, frequency, and potential progressions.

In elite-level soccer, the ability to take shots with both limbs from different positions in the pitch may be key to success. This research aimed to: 1) analyze footedness of elite-football players in European leagues during shooting by computing frequency of right- and left-foot use and accuracy; and 2) investigate whether an athlete’s distance from the target (goal, penalty, and outside penalty area) and pitch zone (center, left, or right from the goal) can constrain foot selection during shooting. We analyzed 1826 games from the 2017/18 season, divided between: Spanish LaLiga (380 matches); Italian Serie A (380 matches); English Premier League (380 matches); German Bundesliga (306 matches); and French Ligue 1 (380 matches). Results revealed asymmetrical proportions of foot selection, favoring the preferred foot for right- and left-footed athletes. Frequency of preferred foot selection increased as a function of distance from the target (i.e., the farther the athlete, higher the percentage of preferred foot selection). Shots taken from the left side were more often performed with the right foot and vice-versa, for both left- and right-footed athletes. Interestingly, asymmetries were observed only in foot selection, but not in performance, as success rate did not vary between limbs in any position.

Purpose: Back squat (BS) is a popular exercise owing to its capacity to develop lower limb strength. During BS, trunk inclination and knee range of motion (RoM) are relevant aspects of a proper technique, and these movement kinematics parameters can be positively altered with official weightlifting shoes lifting the heel 13 mm above the ground. Wedges are a low-cost alternative to lifting the heel to different heights, but movement kinematics adaptations with higher elevations, above 25 mm, are not well described in the literature. Thus, we compared the effect of different heights of heel wedges on BS kinematics.Methods: Fifteen experienced recreational weightlifters (22 ± 5.4 years; 83 ± 11 kg; 179 ± 6 cm; 5 ± 2.1 years of BS experience) were conveniently selected. Three randomized conditions were applied: barefoot (B), 25-mm (W25), and 50-mm wedges (W50). BS movement was assessed by kinematic analysis with an optoelectronic camera system.Results: After ANOVA, the post-hoc indicated significant RoM differences in reducing trunk (F = 27.27; p < 0.01) and increasing knee (F = 16.87; p < 0.01) flexions between conditions. Post-hoc analysis verified decreasing trunk inclination (B > W25 > W50; p < 0.05) and increasing knee (B < W25 < W50; p < 0.05) RoM with increasing wedge height.Conclusions: Higher wedges allowed positive adaptations by promoting a more upright trunk position and greater BS depth. Using a heel wedge can be a low-cost and viable strategy to optimize BS technique in a variety of training settings and contexts.