{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,21]],"date-time":"2026-01-21T15:01:11Z","timestamp":1769007671110,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":48,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"11","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,5,27]],"date-time":"2022-05-27T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1653609600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Mais Centro Program, Center Region Coordination Committee of the EU"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Applied Sciences"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Muscle strength, power, balance and speed assume decisive roles in football performance. This study aims to investigate whether lower limb flexibility, particularly the hip flexors and knee extensor and flexor muscles, are correlated with vertical jump performance, balance and speed in adult football players. A sample of 22 male amateur football players (age: 22.3 \u00b1 3 years; height: 175.4 \u00b1 7.4 cm; weight: 74.9 \u00b1 11.6 kg; BMI: 24.2 \u00b1 2.6 kg\/m2) were assessed for lower limb flexibility, vertical jump, balance and speed. Results indicated that vertical jump ability is moderately correlated with left knee extensors flexibility (\u03c1 = \u22120.426; p = 0.048), which did not occur on the right side. There were no statistically significant correlations between vertical jump and knee flexors flexibility (\u03c1 = 0.330; p = 0.133). In balance, the reaching distance on the right side presented a moderate and statistically significant correlation with the knee flexors flexibility (\u03c1 = 0.411; p = 0.040), which was not observed on the left side. Velocity was not correlated with the knee extensors flexibility (right: \u03c1 = 0.360; p = 0.100; left: \u03c1 = 0.386; p = 0.076), or with the knee flexors flexibility (\u03c1 = \u22120.173; p = 0.440). In conclusion, the influence of flexibility on vertical jump ability, balance and speed appears to exist. Further research should seek to clarify the associations between these abilities.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/app12115425","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,5,27]],"date-time":"2022-05-27T07:05:07Z","timestamp":1653635107000},"page":"5425","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":12,"title":["Impact of Flexibility on Vertical Jump, Balance and Speed in Amateur Football Players"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"12","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1568-4658","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Daniel","family":"Bogalho","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Coimbra Health School, Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra, 3046-854 Coimbra, Portugal"},{"name":"Sporting Clube de Portugal, 1501-806 Lisboa, Portugal"},{"name":"Applied Research Unit (IIA)\u2014Robocorp, Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra, 3045-093 Coimbra, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2310-1560","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ricardo","family":"Gomes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Applied Research Unit (IIA)\u2014Robocorp, Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra, 3045-093 Coimbra, Portugal"},{"name":"ESEC-UNICID-ASSERT, Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra, 3030-329 Coimbra, Portugal"},{"name":"Research Unit for Sport and Physical Activity, University of Coimbra, 3040-248 Coimbra, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2433-5193","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rui","family":"Mendes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Applied Research Unit (IIA)\u2014Robocorp, Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra, 3045-093 Coimbra, Portugal"},{"name":"ESEC-UNICID-ASSERT, Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra, 3030-329 Coimbra, Portugal"},{"name":"Research Unit for Sport and Physical Activity, University of Coimbra, 3040-248 Coimbra, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3774-6661","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Gon\u00e7alo","family":"Dias","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Applied Research Unit (IIA)\u2014Robocorp, Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra, 3045-093 Coimbra, Portugal"},{"name":"ESEC-UNICID-ASSERT, Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra, 3030-329 Coimbra, Portugal"},{"name":"Research Unit for Sport and Physical Activity, University of Coimbra, 3040-248 Coimbra, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1500-355X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Maria Ant\u00f3nio","family":"Castro","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Coimbra Health School, Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra, 3046-854 Coimbra, Portugal"},{"name":"Applied Research Unit (IIA)\u2014Robocorp, Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra, 3045-093 Coimbra, Portugal"},{"name":"CEMMPRE (UIDB\/00285\/2020), University of Coimbra, 3030-788 Coimbra, Portugal"},{"name":"Escola Superior de Sa\u00fade, Instituto Polit\u00e9cnico de Leiria, 2411-901 Leiria, Portugal"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,5,27]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e7","DOI":"10.1016\/j.scispo.2014.05.003","article-title":"Determinants of acceleration and maximum speed phase of repeated sprint ability in soccer players: A cross-sectional study","volume":"30","author":"Nikolaidis","year":"2015","journal-title":"Sci. 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