# Effect of a Sensorimotor Training Program for Aerial Maneuvers in Junior Surfers
## 4 Discussion  
Lower limb injuries are the most common in surfing competitors [(12)] and among elite junior surfers [(15)], and seem to be related to landing tasks [(47; 12)]. Therefore, physical performance outcome measures are important baseline screening tools for detecting initial deficits in young athletes and tracking their progress following the implementation of programs [(19; 41; 42)]. In fact, [PERSON] and colleagues highlight the need for a multifactorial approach to evaluating landing skills (e.g., ankle dorsiflexion range of motion, isometric \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c} \hline \hline  & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**Pre-Training**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**Post-Training**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**Differences**} \\  & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**Program**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**Program**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**Program**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**(Post-Pre)**} \\ \hline
**YBT-LQ (cm)** & **Mean \(\pm\) SD** & **Median** & **Mean \(\pm\) SD** & **Median** & \(\mathbf{t}\) \\ \hline YBT-LQ—Anterior Left & 62.62 \(\pm\) 5.73 & 63.00 & 65.37 \(\pm\) 6.87 & 63.50 & 2.75 \(\pm\) 4.08 \({}^{*}\) \\ YBT-LQ—Postero-medial Left & 104.75 \(\pm\) 11.72 & 102.50 & 108.54 \(\pm\) 12.90 & 105.75 & 3.79 \(\pm\) 6.55 \({}^{*}\) \\ YBT-LQ—Postero-lateral Left & 111.75 \(\pm\) 16.69 & 105.50 & 112.45 \(\pm\) 12.90 & 109.00 & 0.70 \(\pm\) 7.05 \\ YBT-LQ—Anterior Right & 63.91 \(\pm\) 6.01 & 65.00 & 66.12 \(\pm\) 6.41 & 65.00 & 2.20 \(\pm\) 3.89 \({}^{*}\) \\ YBT-LQ—Postero-medial Right & 106.04 \(\pm\) 12.32 & 104.00 & 106.45 \(\pm\) 11.88 & 102.75 & 0.41 \(\pm\) 7.07 \\ YBT-LQ—Postero-lateral Right & 110.45 \(\pm\) 13.89 & 105.50 & 112.50 \(\pm\) 10.07 & 114.50 & 2.04 \(\pm\) 7.69 \\ YBT-LQ Anterior Asymmetry & 3.37 \(\pm\) 2.04 & 3.00 & 1.75 \(\pm\) 1.48 & 1.25 & \(-\)1.62 \(\pm\) 2.73 \({}^{*}\) \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular} Abbreviations: YBT-LQ: Y-Balance Test—Lower Quarter; SD: standard deviation; \(p<\) 0.05.  
\end{table} 
Table 2: Y-Balance test—Lower Quarter (YBT-LQ) pre- and post-training mean, median, and standard deviation (SD) values and differences. Figure 2: Pre and post-training measures of lower limb muscle power, assessed with the CMJa test (cm). midthigh pull, lower body strength, time to stabilization during a drop-and-stick (DS) landing, relative peak force during a DS landing), recognizing that multiple factors contribute to both the success and safety in these tasks. [30]  
According to [PERSON] and [PERSON] [48], normal ankle DF, assessed with the KW test, should be over 12 cm for surfers. The KW test revealed that junior surfers presenting pre-test borderline lower scores for ankle DF achieved a higher (13.67 \(\pm\) 2.99 cm to 13.60 \(\pm\) 2.71 cm) and significant (\(p\) < 0.001) post-program increase of more than 2 cm, which is higher than or similar to previous junior elite surfer studies addressing ankle ROM, like [PERSON] et al. [49] (10.0 \(\pm\) 2.0 cm to 11.0 \(\pm\) 3.0 cm), [PERSON] et al. [15] (11.5 \(\pm\) 3.2 cm to 11.6 \(\pm\) 2.7 cm), and [PERSON] et al. [8] (13.9 \(\pm\) 2.8 cm to 14.3 \(\pm\) 3.9 cm). Previous research has highlighted the importance of increased ankle dorsiflexion and the proficient landing ability of competitive surfers, as well as a positive link between ankle proprioception and competitive achievement, which differentiates senior from junior elite and recreational surfers [47; 49]. It has also been suggested that the ability to attenuate energy to reduce the landing force may be developed through long-term training that aligns with the demanding tasks of competitive surfing [47]. _Coordination, dynamic balance, and postural control_, assessed through the YBT-LQ, revealed post-program increased scores for all measured variables. Although some of them (YBT-LQ--Anterior Left, YBT-LQ--Postero-medial Left and YBT-LQ--Anterior Right) showed a statistically significant difference (\(p\) < 0.05), its increase is not considered clinically relevant due to the associated measuring error (SD), as the variations were lower than 5%.