Kinesiological, Muscular, and Joint Evaluation of Children from the Soccer Training School of the University of Pamplona

Abstract

Flexibility is one of the capacities addressed within the content block "Physical Condition and Health." It continues to be assessed using tests that do not evaluate it as a whole, which highlights the need for tools that can indicate both the values and the evolution of flexibility during the ages covered in this educational stage. Flexibility can be defined as the range of motion (ROM) of a joint or sequence of joints (Philips & Hormak, 1979). A more complete and current definition is the passive physiological amplitude of movement of a given joint (Gil, 2005) or the ability of a joint to move through an optimal range of motion (Hedrick, 2005). The joint range of motion differs from one joint to another. The maximum limit of a joint movement can be reached in two ways: actively or passively. Likewise, anatomical structures are limiting factors of the range of motion in a given joint. In order to avoid the influence of external variables on measurement (such as warm-up, muscle strength, motivation), measurements must be performed passively. The global movements produced by the human body are a succession of joint movements, and since flexibility is joint-specific (Hedrick, 2005), the measurement of joint range of motion must differentiate between joints. A reduction in range of motion is the result of muscle shortening and imbalances, which are reflected in incomplete movement execution. These are caused, among other factors, by prolonged sitting (González, 2001; González, 2004; Ramos, 2005) and an alarming increase in sedentary lifestyles or passive leisure activities (Puig, 1985; Gómez, 2002). Regarding the evolution of flexibility with age, there is a clear decline starting at around 12 years of age (Grosser & Müller, 1992).