Comparison of crossover and jab step start techniques in sprinting for football and handball players

Abstract

There are two techniques for a lateral sprint start: crossover (CS) and jab step (JS) starts. This study aimed to elucidate the difference in the CS and JS starts in terms of sprint performance and leg kinetics in athletes from ball-and-goal type sports (e.g. soccer and handball). Nineteen male athletes performed CS and JS starts, during which their motion and the force they applied to the ground were simultaneously recorded using a motion-capture system and two force platforms. The results showed that, although 5-m time via video analysis did not differ between CS and JS starts, forward velocity of centre of gravity (CG) and normalised average horizontal external power were greater for the JS start than the CS start. From waveform analysis, greater positive joint power in the sagittal plane leading to greater positive work in the JS start were found in the first three quarters of the push-off phase for rear hip extension and in the subsequent push-off phase for rear ankle plantar flexion. In conclusion, the results suggest that the JS start is superior to the CS start for start quickness, though the gains in the start did not appear to transfer to the 5-m performance. Moreover, greater positive joint power in the first three quarters of the push-off phase for the rear hip extension and in the subsequent push-off phase for the rear ankle plantar flexion were considered to be important contributing factors to the better performance of the JS start.