Effects of different ankle joint angles on Hike-out forms on the duration and lower limb EMG of the Hike-out test in dinghy sailing

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effective use of ankles in terms of duration and load on the lower extremities of the Hike-out test, which mimics the full Hike-out posture in Sailing competition. The duration and electromyography (EMG) of the knee extensors were compared between the two forms of the Hikeout test: ankle dorsiflexion with the toe-strap over the navicular bone (NAV) and ankle plantar flexion with the toe-strap over the metatarsals (MET) . EMG electrodes were attached over muscle bellies of the vastus medialis (VM) , vastus lateralis (VL) and rectus femoris (RF) muscles. The duration of hiking postural maintenance was significantly longer in MET (95 ± 18 s, mean and standard deviation) than in that of NAV (73 ± 20 s) . All subjects ended the measurement when they could not maintain the hip angle, suggesting that it is the muscular endurance of the hip flexor muscle group that determines the duration of the full Hike-out. However, there was no significant difference in the EMG of each muscle between forms. For the RF, which also contributes to hip flexion, the amplitude of EMG was found to increase with time. We concluded that MET with ankle plantar flexion is an effective form to sustain the full Hike-out posture.