• Michal Vagner, Daniel Cleather, Petr Kubovy, Vladimir Hojka, and Petr Stastny.
• Department of Military Physical Education, Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport, Prague 16252, Czech Republic.
• Mil Med. 2022 Jan 4; 187 (1-2): e147-e153.

IntroductionThe efficiency of front kick is related to the kicking technique. Thus, the aim of this study was to find the kinematic determinants of front kick dynamics across different performance and loading levels (no load to 45-kg load).Materials And MethodsTwenty-four elite and sub-elite professional military personnel (26.8 ± 10.1 years, 84.2 ± 5.4 kg, 181.1 ± 6.4 cm) performed six front kicks into a force plate across five different loading conditions. Three-dimensional kinematics of the kicks was quantified and included velocity of the hip (Vhip), velocity of the knee (Vknee), velocity of the shoulder (Vshoulder), velocity of the foot (Vfoot), angular velocity of the knee (AVknee), and angular velocity of the hip (AVhip).ResultsThe main kinematic differences between the two groups were that the sub-elite group had an increased kick time for all loading conditions (P < .001) and a lower Vfoot (P = .05) and a decreased Vhip and Vshoulder (P < .05) in the highest load condition. Vhip and AVhip were the best predictors (up to R2 = 0.58; P = .020) of peak force and impact force during no-load or loaded kicking at the elite level. Typical predictors of impulse in the elite group were AVhip, Vhip, and Vshoulder and those in the sub-elite group were AVknee and Vfoot.ConclusionsThe kinematic variables provide good predictions of kicking dynamics; however, the best predictor varies with the loading conditions and performance levels. Hip motion is the main differentiating factor.© The Association of Military Surgeons of the United States 2021. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

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