Non‐dominant leg training improves the bilateral motor performance of soccer players

The aim of this experiment was to evaluate bilateral motor performance effects from training the non‐dominant leg of competitive soccer players. The subjects were 39 soccer players, 15–20 years of age, performance‐matched and randomly divided into a training group ( n = 18) and a control group ( n = 21) both belonging to the same team. Both groups were tested by using two standardised foot‐tapping tests and three soccer‐specific tests. The training intervention consisted of the experimental group participating in all parts of their soccer training except full play, using the non‐dominant leg for 8 weeks. Statistical analyses for the soccer‐specific tests revealed that the experimental group improved significantly as compared to the control group from the pre‐test to the post‐test period in their use of the trained non‐dominant leg. Somewhat unexpectedly, the experimental group also improved significantly in the tests, which made use of the dominant side. The standardised foot‐tapping tests revealed similar results. The results might be explained by improved generalised motor programmes, or from a Dynamic Systems Approach, indicating that the actual training relates to the handling of all the information available to the subject in the situation, and that the body self‐organises the motor performance .