The Effect of Unilateral and Bilateral Foot Dominance on Sprinting Speed of Young Athletes

Abstract

Purpose: Footedness as a predictor of brain hemispheric dominance cause performance differences in movement and sports performance. This study aimed to investigate the 30 m sprint speed difference between unilateral and bilateral foot dominance in 156 male and 37 female athletes.

Material Method: It was assumed that all participants exerted maximum effort during 30 m sprint test in the entrance examination for schools of physical education and sports. The participants with right and left foot dominance were accepted as “unilateral footed” while participants kicking the ball with two foot were recognized as “bilateral footed”. For testing differences between two groups Mann Whitney U tests were used.

Results: There was only significant difference in the second attempt of 30 meters sprints between unilateral and bilateral footed male participants. Bilateral footed males were 2.81% faster than unilateral footers. Sprint speed difference was 11.97% for first trial and 10.43% for second trial in between unilateral and bilateral footed female participants. However, this difference was statistically insignificant due to lower number of bilateral athletes in our study.

Conclusion: Unilateral and bilateral foot dominance can be useful criteria in the selection of talented sprinters and in the planning and monitoring of training.