RELATIONSHIP OF HAMSTRING MUSCLE FLEXIBILITY TO LEG MUSCLE STRENGTH IN WUSHU ATHLETES

Abstract

Wushu is now a sport that is gaining interest among various groups, from children to adults.  The most common injury in wushu athletes is hamstring muscle injury which accounts for 12%.  Hamstring muscle injuries in wushu athletes can occur due to overstretching of the hamstring muscles leading to the sudden and explosive movements and finally a decrease in leg muscle strength.  Maintaining hamstring muscle flexibility and leg muscle strength in wushu athletes is essential as both impact on the optimal ability when competing.  This cross-sectional research aimed to find out whether there was a relationship between hamstring flexibility and leg muscle strength in wushu athletes.  The instruments used to measure hamstring flexibility were the V Sit and Reach Test and while the Leg Dynamometer was used to measure leg muscle strength.  Participants of this study were 43 wushu athletes at the Ghenta Dewata Bali Wushu Gym recruited by purposive sampling.  This study found a relationship between hamstring muscle flexibility and leg muscle strength (p<0.001).  The Pearson correlation result shows a positive and unidirectional value (r = 0.844).  Thus, it can be interpreted that an increase in hamstring flexibility results in an increase in leg muscle strength.