REVIEW article

Front. Sports Act. Living

Sec. Biomechanics and Control of Human Movement

Volume 7 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fspor.2025.1602058

This article is part of the Research TopicAdvancing Biomechanics: Enhancing Sports Performance, Mitigating Injury Risks, and Optimizing Athlete Rehabilitation - Volume IIView all 5 articles

Biomechanics of landing in gymnasts: A scoping review

Provisionally accepted
  • 1Faculty of Physical Culture, Palacký University, Olomouc, Olomouc, Czechia
  • 2Department of Human Movement Studies, Faculty of Education, University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czechia

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

This scoping review aimed to map methodologies used to assess landing biomechanics in gymnasts, focusing on muscle function and stability. Four research questions were formed, addressing common methodological approaches, factors affecting stability, and the relationships between muscle function, strength, and stability during landing. The searches were conducted across six databases and supplemented by reference and forward citation searches. Eight studies met the inclusion criteria, encompassing 212 participants aged 8-25 years, predominantly competitive gymnasts. The studies revealed significant variability in methods for assessing postural stabilization and muscle function during landing. Stabilization was evaluated using time to stabilization and center of pressure metrics, while muscle activity was predominantly measured via surface electromyography, focusing on lower limb muscles. Factors such as drop height, age, training level, and task-specific demands influenced muscle activity patterns but were inconsistently reported. Gymnasts demonstrated superior neuromuscular control compared to untrained individuals, with distinct muscle activation patterns during landing phases. Despite these insights, no studies examined the interplay between muscle strength, activity, and stabilization metrics. The lack of standardized methodologies limits direct comparisons and generalizations. This review highlights the need for consistent protocols and further research to explore relationships between muscle function, stability metrics, and performance outcomes in gymnastics.

Keywords: biomechanics1, gymnastics2, landing3, muscle function4, Stability5

Received: 28 Mar 2025; Accepted: 19 May 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Pavlasová, Bizovská, Gába, Farana and Janura. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Kateřina Pavlasová, Faculty of Physical Culture, Palacký University, Olomouc, Olomouc, Czechia

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