Kinematic Profile of Visually Impaired Football Players During Specific Sports Actions

Blind football, or Football 5-a-side, is a very popular sport amongst visually impaired individuals (VI) worldwide. However, little is known regarding the movement patterns these players perform in sports actions. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine whether visually impaired players present changes in their movement patterns in specific functional tasks compared with sighted amateur football players. Six VI and eight sighted amateur football players performed two functional tasks: (1) 5 m shuttle test and (2) 60 s ball passing against a wall. The sighted players performed the tests while fully sighted (SIG) as well as blindfolded (BFO). During both tasks, full-body kinematics was recorded using an inertial motion capture system. The maximal center-of-mass speed and turning center-of-mass speed were computed during the 5 m shuttle test. Foot resultant speed, bilateral arm speed, and trunk flexion were measured during the 60 s ball passing test. The results showed that VI players achieved lower maximal and turning speed compared to SIG players (p < 0.05), but BFO were slower than the VI players. The VI players presented similar foot contact speed during passes when compared to SIG, but they presented greater arm movement speed (p < 0.05) compared to both SIG and BFO. In addition, VI players presented greater trunk flexion angles while passing when compared to both SIG and BFO (p < 0.05). It is concluded that VI players present slower speed while running and turning, and they adopt specific adaptations from arm movements and trunk flexion to perform passes.