Alistair James McBurnie

Manchester United F.C. · Sports Science

Horizontal deceleration is a critical locomotor skill underpinning the many changes of speed and direction performed by athletes in multi-directional sports. Despite its importance there are currently no evidence-based guidelines on how to improve horizontal deceleration ability. Therefore, the aim of this article is to provide practitioners tasked...

Rapid horizontal accelerations and decelerations are crucial events enabling the changes of velocity and direction integral to sports involving random intermittent multi-directional movements. However, relative to horizontal acceleration, there have been considerably fewer scientific investigations into the biomechanical and neuromuscular demands o...

Attacking agility actions, such as side steps, shuffle steps, crossover cutting, split steps, spins, decelerations, and sharp turns, are important maneuvers in invasion team sports, often linked with decisive match winning moments. Generally, the aims of these actions are to (a) evade and create separation from an opponent, (b) generate high exit v...

An important element of developing agility with athletes is to evaluate technique in performing actions associated with match play. For practitioners it is important to understand what the key elements of ideal movement technique are to enhance performance. The aim of this article is to revisit an approach to creating a technical framework to help...

Professional soccer clubs invest significantly into the development of their academy prospects with the hopes of producing elite players. Talented youngsters in elite development systems are exposed to high amounts of sports-specific practise with the aims of developing the foundational skills underpinning the capabilities needed to excel in the ga...

High-intensity horizontal decelerations occur frequently in team sports and are typically performed to facilitate a reduction in momentum preceding a change of direction manoeuvre or following a sprinting action. The mechanical underpinnings of horizontal deceleration are unique compared to other high-intensity locomotive patterns (e.g., accelerati...

Background Most cutting biomechanical studies investigate performance and knee joint load determinants independently. This is surprising because cutting is an important action linked to performance and non-contact anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between cutting biomechanics and cu...

Multidirectional speed (MDS) can be defined as the competency and capacity to accelerate, decelerate, change direction, and maintain speed in multiple directions and movements, within the context of sport-specific scenarios."The components of MDS are linear speed, change of direction speed, curvilinear speed, contextual speed, and agility. A MDS de...

This review provides a definition for multidirectional speed (MDS) and evaluates its technical and mechanical underpinnings. This review explores each component of MDS while considering unique aspects of youth physiology and epidemiology. With a theoretical understanding of MDS, practitioners will be more informed on the planning and periodization...

Abstract: This study aimed to examine the effects of change of direction (COD) speed and technique modification training on 180� turning performance (completion time, ground contact time [GCT], and exit velocity), kinetics, and kinematics. A non-randomised 6 week intervention study was administered. Thirteen male multidirectional sport athletes for...

Side-step cutting is an action associated with non-contact anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury with a plethora of negative economical, health, and psychological implications. Although ACL injury risk factors are multifactorial, biomechanical and neuromuscular deficits which contribute to “high-risk” and aberrant movement patterns are linked to...

Dos'Santos, T, McBurnie, A, Thomas, C, Comfort, P, and Jones, PA. Biomechanical determinants of the modified and traditional 505 change of direction speed test. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2019-The aim of this study was to investigate the whole-body biomechanical determinants of 180° change of direction (COD) performance. Sixty-one male ath...

Cutting manoeuvres are important actions associated with soccer performance and a key action associated with non-contact anterior cruciate ligament injury; thus, training interventions that can improve cutting performance and movement quality are of great interest. The aim of this study, therefore, was to determine the effects of a six-week change...

This review aims to provide an overview of the current load-velocity (L-V) approaches and their ability to estimate one-repetition maximum (1RM). The bench press exercise appears to be the most valid and reliable when applying this approach. The ability for L-V relationship to predict 1RM for lower-body lifts remains questionable. Individualized re...

McBurnie, AJ, Dos'Santos, T, Jones, PA. Biomechanical associates of performance and knee joint loads during a 70-90° cutting maneuver in subelite soccer players. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2019-The aim of this study was to explore the "performance-injury risk" conflict during cutting, by examining whole-body joint kinematics and kinetics t...

Objective: To assess the validity of the cutting movement assessment score (CMAS) to estimate the magnitude of peak knee abduction moments (KAM) against three-dimensional (3D) motion analysis, while comparing whole-body kinetics and kinematics between subjects of low (bottom 33%) and high CMASs (top 33%). Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting:...

Abstract Cutting actions are important maneuvers in multidirectional sport and are also key actions associated with non-contact anterior cruciate ligament injury; however, it is important to note that three primary cutting techniques have been studied within the literature: the side-step, crossover cut, and split-step. These cutting techniques demo...