## 4 Discussion
\begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c} \hline \hline \multirow{2}{*}{**Variables**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**SC30**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**SC45**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**SC45 cl**} \\ \cline{2-7}  & \(p\) & \begin{tabular}{c} **Partial Eta** \\ **Squared (\(\eta^{2}\))** \\ \end{tabular} & \(p\) & \
\begin{tabular}{c} **Partial Eta** \\ **Squared (\(\eta^{2}\))** \\ \end{tabular} & \(p\) &
\begin{tabular}{c} **Partial Eta** \\ **Squared (\(\eta^{2}\))** \\ \end{tabular} \\ \hline \(\text{RMS}_{\text{H}}\)\({}_{\text{50}}\) ms (mV) & 0.747 & 0.001 & 0.292 & 0.001 & 0.001 & 0.226 \\ \hline \(\text{RMS}_{\text{Q}}\)\({}_{\text{100}}\) ms (mV) & 0.023 & 0.032 & 0.016 & 0.035 & 0.001 & 0.204 \\ \hline \(\text{RMS}_{\text{H}}\)\({}_{\text{100}}\) ms (mV) & 0.187 & 0.011 & 0.012 & 0.039 & 0.003 & 0.064 \\ \(\text{RMS}_{\text{Q}}\)\({}_{\text{150}}\) ms (mV) & 0.071 & 0.020 & 0.002 & 0.060 & 0.001 & 0.184 \\ \hline \(\text{RMS}_{\text{H}}\)\({}_{\text{150}}\) ms (mV) & 0.257 & 0.008 & 0.028 & 0.030 & 0.379 & 0.017 \\ \hline \(\text{RMS}_{\text{Q}}\)\({}_{\text{200}}\) ms (mV) & 0.003 & 0.055 & 0.014 & 0.038 & 0.006 & 0.057 \\ \hline \(\text{RMS}_{\text{H}}\)\({}_{\text{200}}\) ms (mV) & 0.025 & 0.031 & 0.031 & 0.029 & 0.019 & 0.041 \\ \hline \(\text{Ratio}_{\text{H}}\)/\(\text{Q}_{\text{MVC}}\) & 0.007 & 0.045 & 0.024 & 0.031 & 0.015 & 0.048 \\ \hline \(\text{Ratio}_{\text{H}}\)/\(\text{Q}_{\text{50}}\) & 0.005 & 0.048 & 0.005 & 0.048 & 0.031 & 0.038 \\ \hline \(\text{Ratio}_{\text{H}}\)/\(\text{Q}_{\text{100}}\) & 0.008 & 0.044 & 0.007 & 0.045 & 0.042 & 0.032 \\ \hline \(\text{Ratio}_{\text{H}}\)/\(\text{Q}_{\text{150}}\) & 0.027 & 0.030 & 0.004 & 0.049 & 0.019 & 0.048 \\ \hline \(\text{Ratio}_{\text{H}}\)/\(\text{Q}_{\text{200}}\) & 0.025 & 0.031 & 0.031 & 0.028 & 0.026 & 0.036 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}  
* Data expressed as mean and SD. \(p\leq 0.05\). \(\eta^{2}\) = effect size. RMS (mV) = root mean square; Q = quadriceps; H = hamstrings; MVC = maximum voluntary contraction; 50/100/150/200 (ms) = with respect to the first 50/100/150/200 milliseconds; \(\text{Ratio}_{\text{H}}\)/Q = ratio of co-activation of hamstrings to quadriceps. SC30 = 30\({}^{\circ}\) open change of direction. SC45\({}^{\circ}\) open change of direction. SC45\({}^{\circ}\) open change of direction. SC45\({}^{\circ}\) closed change of direction towards the same side.  
\end{table} 
Table 4: _Cont._activation, as it corresponds to how activations of the posterior musculature relate to the anterior [28; 29]. Our results demonstrate a coactivation ratio very close to 1 in all directional changes, a key aspect indicating a protective effect in terms of the muscle control participants exhibited during directional changes. However, 40% of subjects showed coactivation ratios of 0.8 or lower during these movements, describing worse coactivation of the posterior musculature relative to the anterior and thus increasing the risk of injury ([PERSON] et al., 2003). Furthermore, our findings indicate that there were no appreciable variations in the activation of the anterior and posterior thigh muscles during the SC30 between men and women. This aligns with the findings of [PERSON] and [PERSON] [30], who demonstrated no significant sex differences in the onset of EMG activity in the major thigh muscles. Nevertheless, when adjusted for the covariate BMI, it was observed that BMI did influence the sex differences, especially in the activation of the anterior thigh muscles. However, when examining explosive ratios in detail, it is interesting to note that in the H/Q50 ratio, women significantly surpassed men, surpassing the H/Q ratio of 1.1. A possible explanation could be the overactivation of the posterior thigh musculature due to uncontrolled motor unit recruitment, a characteristic often observed in women [26]. This may signify a negative factor contributing to an increased risk of injuries since, as suggested by [PERSON] et al. [31], simultaneous activation of both anterior and posterior thigh musculature entails better knee joint control.