Sport-Specific Movement Analysis

A special issue of Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology (ISSN 2411-5142). This special issue belongs to the section "Kinesiology and Biomechanics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 104

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
1. Department of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences, Universidad de León, Leon, Spain
2. Analysis of Human Movement, Sports Performance, and Health Research Group (AMREDyS), Universidad de León, Leon, Spain
Interests: youth athletes; performance; racket sports
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Across modern sport, the capacity to quantify how athletes move in the exact context in which they compete is very important. Movement analysis, including inertial measurement units, force‑measuring wearables, and emerging marker‑less motion‑capture powered by computer vision and artificial intelligence, is now popular among different sports and in sport-specific environments. These tools provide unique insights into the biomechanics, neuromuscular control, and energetics that underpin sport‑specific skills. However, many fundamental questions remain unanswered, such as the following: how reliable are field‑based movement measures? What are the variables discriminating performance levels? How can coaches translate these data into training demands? This Special Issue will enhance our understanding of athlete movement in sport-specific contexts and apply this understanding to optimize performance and reduce injury risk. We welcome contributions that explore, but are not limited to, the following themes:

  • Biomechanical profiling of technical and tactical actions across sport disciplines and performance levels;
  • Movement pattern analysis in ecological settings using field-based tools (e.g., wearables);
  • Sport-specific neuromuscular strategies, motor control adaptations, and variability in elite and developmental athletes;
  • Injury-risk indicators derived from kinetic, kinematic, or neuromuscular parameters during sport-specific tasks;
  • Acute fatigue effects on movement mechanics during training or competition, as well as their implications for injury and performance;
  • Longitudinal monitoring of movement adaptations following training interventions, return-to-play protocols, or athletic development programs in different sex-, age-, and level-based populations;
  • Integrative approaches combining biomechanics, physiology, and data science to model performance and injury risk in sport-specific tasks.

Original research articles, systematic reviews, short communications, case studies, and methodological notes are all encouraged. Manuscripts will be peer‑reviewed and published online upon acceptance, ensuring rapid dissemination to provide valuable information for athletes, coaches, sport scientists, and strength and conditioning professionals.

We look forward to receiving your work.

Dr. Jaime Fernandez Fernandez
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • sport biomechanics
  • movement analysis
  • wearables
  • injury prevention
  • performance analysis

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

31 pages, 1671 KB  
Review
Neuromuscular Performance of High-Level Football Goalkeepers by Age Category and Sex: A Systematic Review
by Pablo González-Jarrín, Jaime Fernández-Fernández, José Vicente García-Tormo and Carlos Gutiérrez García
J. Funct. Morphol. Kinesiol. 2025, 10(4), 398; https://doi.org/10.3390/jfmk10040398 (registering DOI) - 13 Oct 2025
Abstract
Background: Goalkeeper actions directly influence match outcomes and overall team performance. Neuromuscular determinants (e.g., perception–action coupling, reaction speed, rate of force development (RFD), balance, etc.) translate into higher save probability, faster second actions, and more accurate distribution. Objectives: This systematic review analysed neuromuscular [...] Read more.
Background: Goalkeeper actions directly influence match outcomes and overall team performance. Neuromuscular determinants (e.g., perception–action coupling, reaction speed, rate of force development (RFD), balance, etc.) translate into higher save probability, faster second actions, and more accurate distribution. Objectives: This systematic review analysed neuromuscular performance factors in 11-a-side football goalkeepers and examined how these factors evolve across age and sex groups. Methods: The review adhered to the PRISMA 2020 Statement guidelines. A systematic search was conducted using the PubMed, Web of Science, SPORTDiscus, PsycINFO, Dialnet, LILACS, and Scopus databases. Studies that assessed any aspect of goalkeepers’ neuromuscular performance except for aerobic endurance and VO2 max (due to the short duration of goalkeeping actions) were included, regardless of the type of observational design. Results: Thirty-five studies were finally included in the synthesis, encompassing neuromuscular performance factors such as agility, speed, anaerobic power, strength, flexibility, and dynamic balance and coordination. The findings underscore the need for neuromuscular training for goalkeepers, particularly agility training. Neuromuscular performance improves with age, especially in linear speed, agility, change-of-direction speed, strength, and power; however, flexibility shows no significant progression. This review identifies key tests for evaluating goalkeepers’ neuromuscular capacities across major performance domains. Conclusions: Although sex differences are apparent, the main limitation is the lack of research on neuromuscular performance in male and female goalkeepers, making it difficult to define indicators for different age and sex categories. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sport-Specific Movement Analysis)
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