The Associations between Plantar Force Distribution and Successfulness in Short-Fire Shooting among Special Police Officers
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2022 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Applied Sciences-Basel |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Web | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/10/5199 |
| Doi | http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/app12105199 |
| Keywords | special populations; biomechanics; precision; performance; efficiency |
| Attached files | |
| Description | The main purpose of the study was to determine whether a pistol shooting efficiency score could be predicted by plantar force distribution patterns. In this cross-sectional study, participants were special police male officers (N = 30), members of the Anti-Terrorist Unit 'Lucko' (age(mean +/- SD) = 40 +/- 6 years, height(mean +/- SD) = 180 +/- 5 cm, weight(mean +/- SD) = 89 +/- 8 kg). Shooting efficiency at a target 10 m away was tested on a scale from 0 to 5, while standing on a Zebris pedobarographic platform. Higher absolute (N; beta = -0.19, p = 0.002) and relative (%; beta = -0.12, p = 0.043) forces beneath the hindfoot were associated with poorer shooting efficiency. A significant positive association between the relative force beneath the forefoot and shooting efficiency was found, i.e., higher relative forces beneath the forefoot region exhibited better shooting values (beta = 0.12, p = 0.043). When the force was normalized by weight (N/kg), similar associations remained. This study shows that higher force values under the hindfoot region may lead to a lower shooting performance, while higher force values under the forefoot region can increase shooting performance. |