Physiological Characteristics of Motor Impact Skills in Soccer Players with Disability

The purpose of this study was to study the physiological characteristics of motor skills of striking actions in soccer players with disabilities caused by disorders of the musculoskeletal system. The study involved 100 male students aged 18–22 years, the class of soccer players corresponded to the level of the university team. Students were divided into the main group ( n = 50) and the control group ( n = 50). The main group included soccer players with disorders of the musculoskeletal system (flat feet of degrees II–III in combination with scoliosis of degrees II–III). The control group included soccer players without musculoskeletal disorders. The studies were carried out by electromyography, stabilography, and the Motion Tracking method. It has been established that two factors can be distinguished for impaired coordination and balance in athletes with disabilities, each of which triggers one or more compensatory mechanisms, on the basis of which a new motor stereotype is formed. The first factor is the curvature of the spine, which mainly leads to a shift in the general center of gravity of the body, to a disorder of the mechanisms for maintaining an upright posture and to a lack of coordination when performing movements. The second factor is impairment of the distribution of pressure along the foot, which distorts the afferentation from the nerve endings of the foot and the perception of support reactions, thereby disrupting the work of the balance maintenance system in an upright posture. To compensate for the described impairments and to ensure a full physiological adaptation to the conditions of playing soccer, the body of athletes uses a number of mechanisms. The curvature of the spine and the resulting discoordination of limb movements is compensated by a decrease in the speed of movements and the amplitude of oscillations of the general center of gravity, due to an increase in the importance of visual control. Impairment of the support reaction are compensated by the involvement of additional muscle groups, primarily the lower leg muscles. Therefore, it can be argued that it is on the basis of the interaction of the identified factors, limiting and compensatory, that a useful result is achieved, namely, a new motor stereotype is formed, which allows the formation of motor adaptation in athletes with disabilities and ensure the achievement of a useful result, a high efficiency of soccer players' striking actions.