The effect of sex, skill level and a defender on cutting kinematics in soccer players

Cutting patterns may be influenced by task complexity and player attributes, ultimately affecting injury risks. This study examines the impact of skill level, sex, and defender conditions on joint kinematics during unanticipated cutting in soccer players. Kinematic data were captured using a three-dimensional motion capture system for 14 competitive and 14 recreational players performing unanticipated sidesteps (45 ± 10 degrees) under three conditions: no obstacle (NO), static-defender obstacle (SO) and dynamic-defender obstacle (DO). Principal component (PC) analysis and hierarchical linear models examined joint kinematics against sex, skill and defender conditions. For the first component of PC, skill effects revealed greater ankle dorsiflexion angles throughout cutting in competitive players (p = 0.01) than recreational players. DO trials showed lower hip flexion (p = 0.001) and ankle dorsiflexion angles (p = 0.01) than NO. SO trials showed greater hip adduction (p < 0.001) and knee abduction angles (p = 0.04), but lower ankle dorsiflexion angles (p < 0.001) than NO. For PC2, SO trials showed greater hip flexion excursions (p = 0.005) than NO. No sex effects were found. Clearance (participant's distance to the defender) was examined using a three-way analysis of covariance. Greater distances were found in DO by 0.59 m than SO. Differences in cutting patterns highlight potential adaptations to varying defender pressures, providing insights for coaching and prevention programmes.