Relationship between muscle architecture and badminton-specific physical abilities

Abstract

Purpose. The study aimed at determining the relationships between muscle architecture and badminton-specific physical abilities. Methods. The total of 30 university level badminton players (mean age: 22.1 ± 1.4 years) were recruited as participants and underwent assessment of muscle architecture and badminton-specific physical abilities. Pennation angle, fascicle length, and muscle thickness of vastus medialis, vastus lateralis, rectus femoris, and biceps femoris were determined with ultrasonography for muscle architecture variables. Lunge one repetition maximum (1RM), lunge relative 1RM, standing long jump, vertical jump, and agility t-test were performed for physical abilities. The relationship between all muscle architectures and physical abilities was determined with the use of Pearson correlation. Results. The results showed that the pennation angle and muscle thickness were positively correlated while fascicle length was negatively correlated with the physical abilities except for the agility test. Conclusions. The study demonstrates that the possibilities of training performed by athletes affect their muscle architecture; further studies are required to examine how different kinds of training affect muscle architecture, which can then influence performance in sports.