Matt Brughelli

• PhD
• Senior Lecturer at Auckland University of Technology

Background While several clinical factors have independently been linked to anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury risk factors, their collective impact on knee loading during the sidestep maneuver is unknown. To better understand these factors, we assessed the relationship between strength, balance, and sprint kinetics and external knee abduction...

Reducing lower-limb injuries in netball, particularly anterior cruciate ligament injuries, is a priority. The Accident Compensation Corporation (a no-fault national insurance system) partnered with Netball New Zealand to create the “NetballSmart” injury prevention program. Targeted research informed the successful implementation, dissemination, and...

This systematic video analysis of 21 anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries sustained by elite-level netball players during televised games, describes the situation, movement pattern and player behaviour, providing insight regarding the injury mechanism. Seventeen of the ACL injuries occurred from jump-landing actions and only two from cutting m...

Clear decreases in horizontal force production capacity during sprint acceleration have been reported after hamstring injuries (HI) in football players. We hypothesized that lower FH0 is associated with a higher HI occurrence in football players. We aimed to analyze the association between sprint running horizontal force production capacities at lo...

Objective To investigate the efficacy of two ‘NetballSmart’, netball specific warm-ups in improving landing technique measures in New Zealand secondary school netball players. Design Multi-site cluster experimental trial. Participants 77 youth participants, mean ±SD age = 15.8 ± 0.9 were recruited from secondary school netball teams. Setting 12...

Objectives To review netball ankle and knee injuries between 2008 and 2017. Design Audit of insurance injury claims. Methods Data were divided into 5 equal year groups (2008/9, 2010/11, 2012/13, 2014/15, 2016/17), and 3 age groups (10 to 14 years, 15 to 19 years, 20 to 24 years old). Raw injury counts and injury rates per 1000 affiliated players...

Objectives This study aimed to (1) quantitatively assess external knee abduction moments between legs, and (2) qualitatively assess anterior cruciate ligament injury risk between group mean and individual athlete data during the sidestep manoeuvre. Design Descriptive cross-sectional study. Methods Sixteen male academy-level rugby union athletes (...

The aim of this study was to update the validity of the Taekwondo Anaerobic Intermittent Kick Test compared with the 30-s Wingate anaerobic test as the "Gold-Standard", squat jump and countermovement jump tests. The second objective was to examine whether this new specific test would be able to effectively discriminate between elite taekwondo athle...

Background Agility in general and change-of-direction speed (CoD) in particular represent important performance determinants in elite soccer. Objectives The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of a 6-week neuromuscular training program on agility performance, and to determine differences in movement times between the slower and...

Lower limb external maximal power output capacity is a key physical component of performance in many sports. During squat jump and countermovement jump tests, athletes produce high amounts of mechanical work over a short duration to displace their body mass (i.e. the dimension of mechanical power). Thus, jump height has been frequently used by the...

Investigations of trunk strength with high-level athletes are limited. The purpose of this study was to compare maximal concentric isokinetic trunk extension and flexion torque, power, and strength ratios between high-level weightlifters (n = 20), wrestlers (n = 20) and a control (n = 25) population. Isokinetic dynamometry was used to evaluate peak...

The assessment of horizontal force during overground sprinting is increasingly prevalent in practice and research, stemming from advances in technology and access to simplified yet valid field methods. As researchers search out optimal means of targeting the development of horizontal force, there is considerable interest in the effectiveness of ext...

IntroductionThere is controversy in the literature in regards of the link between training load and injury rate. Thus, the aims of this non-interventional study were to evaluate relationships between pre-season training load with biochemical markers, injury incidence and performance during the first month of the competitive period in professional s...

Objectives: To investigate the efficacy of the NetballSmart Dynamic Warm-up in improving physical performance measures in New Zealand secondary school netball players. Design: Cluster randomised controlled trial. Setting: A seven-week intervention study in secondary school netball. Participants: 81 youth netball players (Intervention group,...

McKenzie, CR, Whatman, C, and Brughelli, M. Performance profiling of female youth netball players. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2018-The purpose of this study was to investigate the physical performance characteristics of New Zealand secondary school netball players to provide a physical performance profile and determine whether there are di...

Lenetsky, S, Brughelli, M, Nates, RJ, Neville, JG, Cross, MR, and Lormier, AV. Defining the phases of boxing punches: A mixed-method approach. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2019-Current research on punching in boxing has explored both kinematic and kinetic variables; however, there is no shared structure in the literature to describe these fi...

This study aimed (i) to explore the relationship between vertical (jumping) and horizontal (sprinting) force–velocity–power (FVP) mechanical profiles in a large range of sports and levels of practice, and (ii) to provide a large database to serve as a reference of the FVP profile for all sports and levels tested. A total of 553 participants (333 me...

Database of force-velocity profile from horizontal and vertical modalities in various sports modalities, level and sex. F0, theoretical maximal force; v0, theoretical maximal velocity; Pmax, theoretical maximal power; LL, low level or amateur; ML, medium level or semi-professional; HL, high level or professional; EL, elite level or international.

This study aimed to analyse fatigue-induced changes in mechanical sprinting properties during a specific repeated-sprint test in elite rugby sevens athletes. Twenty elite rugby sevens players performed ten 40 m sprints on a 30 s cycle with participant’s running back and forth in a marked lane. Radar was used to assess maximal overground sprint perf...

Background Head/neck dynamic response to perturbation has been proposed as a risk factor for sports-related concussion. Objectives The aim of this systematic review was to compare methodologies utilised to assess head/neck dynamic response to perturbation, report on magnitude, validity and reliability of the response, and to describe modifying fact...

Aim: Hamstring muscle injury is the main injury related to sports requiring sprint acceleration. In addition, hamstring muscles have been reported to play a role in horizontal force production during sprint acceleration performance. The aim of the present study was to analyze (i) the determinants of horizontal force production and (ii) the role of...

The assessment of horizontal force during over-ground sprinting is becoming increasingly prevalent in practice and research, stemming from advances in technology and access to simplified field-methods. As researchers search out optimal means of targeting the development of horizontal force, there is considerable interest in the effectiveness of ext...

Current research into punching in boxing has explored both kinematic and kinetic variables, however there is no shared structure in the literature to describe these findings. A common method used to provide a shared structure in other sporting tasks is the definition of movement phases. To define the phases of four punches used in boxing (lead and...

KEY POINTS 1. Despite a widespread use, we contended that jump height as measured during vertical jump tests is not a good indicator of lower limb power or maximal power output capability. 2. We showed this based on several confounding factors: body mass, push-off distance, individual force-velocity profile and optimal force-velocity profile. Some...

Introduction The mechanical determinants of short distance sprinting performance are currently unclear. While analyses have been performed on longer distance sprints (Morin et al. 2012), the importance of magnitude and expression of horizontal force production capabilities has not been clearly defined for short distances. This data would provide in...

Introduction: Laterality (i.e., handedness, footedness, and eyedness) could have an impact on highly repeated soccer movements and thus, could influence performance. The purpose of this study was to examine the laterality of high-level football players and its effects on 180° left and right U-turn movements. Materials and Methods: Handedness, foote...

Contexte La lésion musculaire des ischio-jambiers est la principale blessure observée dans les sports d’accélérations et de sprints. Il existe un lien entre la pratique du sprint et la lésion des ischio-jambiers. Par ailleurs, les ischio-jambiers jouent un rôle dans la performance en sprint via leur capacité à produire une force horizontale orienté...

We read with great interest and attention the case-study published by Setuain et al. (2017) and would like to express our concern regarding the methodology implemented and resultant data: in brief, the data appear to be incorrect. The authors address a topic of considerable interest - hamstring injury in soccer players (Ekstrand et al., 2016). The...

Striking impact kinetics are central to performance in combat sports. Despite a multitude of assessment, few in the literature have explored the variability and reliability of punching force assessment. Consequently, this study assessed the variability and reliability of measured punching impact kinetics in untrained and experienced boxers, using a...

The ability of the human body to generate maximal power is linked to a host of performance outcomes and sporting success. Power-force-velocity relationships characterize limits of the neuromuscular system to produce power, and their measurement has been a common topic in research for the past century. Unfortunately, the narrative of the available l...

Our aims were to assess single-leg balance in rugby union athletes and compare the stability indices between legs and between positions. Thirty athletes, forwards and backs (n = 15 / 15) performed single-leg balance measured at two difficulty levels (Level 8 [more stable] and Level 2 [less stable]) using the Biodex Balance SD System. The backs' non...

Background The hamstring muscles are the most injured muscles in athletes practicing sprints. In addition, they seem greatly contributing to the production of horizontal force, a key element in the sprint acceleration performance. Objective To experimentally analyse the relationship between horizontal force production and hamstrings strength durin...

Ballistic performances are determined by both the maximal lower limb power output (Pmax) and their individual force-velocity (F-v) mechanical profile, especially the F-v imbalance (FVimb): difference between the athlete's actual and optimal profile. An optimized training should aim to increase Pmax and/or reduce FVimb. The aim of this study was to...

The purposes of this study were to determine the acute effects of handheld loading on horizontal jump distance and biomechanics during a single standing horizontal jump in female netball players, and to determine individualised optimum loads relative to body mass (BM), for enhancing jump distance. Twelve netball players performed single, standing h...

Purpose: To ascertain whether force-velocity-power relationships could be compiled from a battery of sled-resisted overground sprints and to clarify and compare the optimal loading conditions for maximizing power production for different athlete cohorts. Methods: Recreational mixed-sport athletes (n = 12) and sprinters (n = 15) performed multipl...

Understanding the impact of friction in sled sprinting allows the quantification of kinetic outputs and the effective loading experienced by the athlete. This study assessed changes in the coefficient of friction (µk) of a sled sprint-training device with changing mass and speed to provide a means of quantifying effective loading for athletes. A co...

Objective The hamstring muscles are the most injured muscles in athletes practicing sprints. However, they seem greatly contributing to the production of horizontal force, a key element in the sprint acceleration performance. The aim of our study was to experimentally analyse the link between the production of horizontal force and strength of the h...

Striking impact has been explored repeatedly in combat sports. The majority of methods used in the literature require intricate equipment. This study implemented a novel and simple method of measuring impact kinetics using a common, commercially available striking bag. Impulse and peak force of impacts were determined, with reliability and validity...

Lower-extremity power characteristics are central to performance in rugby. However little is known regarding the effects of leg preference and playing position on sprint mechanics. The purpose of this study was to profile sprint kinetics and kinematics in rugby union athletes and compare between legs and between positions. Thirty male academy-level...

AIM: Ballistic performances, notably jumping, are key factors in many sport activities. They are mostly determined by the maximal power (Pmax) that lower limbs can generate but also by the individual Force-velocity (F-v) mechanical profile characterizing the ratio between maximal force and maximal unloaded extension velocity capabilities. An indivi...

Introduction Maximal power production (P max) is considered central to sprinting performance (Rabita et al. 2015). Power profiling during sprinting has occurred through several different methods (e.g. Samozino et a. 2015), allowing the magnitude and balance of mechanical capacities to be quantified and compared. However, no attempt has been made to...

Abstract Background Head impacts and resulting head accelerations cause concussive injuries. There is no standard for reporting head impact data in sports to enable comparison between studies. Objective The aim was to outline methods for reporting head impact acceleration data in sport and the effect of the acceleration thresholds on the number of...

Recent literature supports the importance of horizontal ground reaction force (GRF) production for sprint acceleration performance. Modeling and clinical studies have shown that the hip extensors are very likely contributors to sprint acceleration performance. We experimentally tested the role of the hip extensors in horizontal GRF production durin...

Handheld load has been reported to enhance horizontal jump performance, however little is known about its influence on ground reaction forces (GRF), especially in female athletes. This study investigated the effects of individualized optimal handheld loading on the technical and physical ability to apply GRF during horizontal jumping in female netb...

Very little is currently known about the effects of acute hamstring injury on over-ground sprinting mechanics. The aim of this research was to describe changes in power-force-velocity properties of sprinting in two injury case studies related to hamstring strain management: Case 1: during a repeated sprint task (10 sprints of 40 m) when an injury o...

Context: Muscle imbalances aid in the identification of athletes at risk for lower-extremity injury. Little is known regarding the influence that leg preference or playing position may have on lower-extremity muscle strength and asymmetry. Purpose: To investigate lower-extremity strength profiles in rugby union athletes and compare isokinetic kn...

Purpose: The aim of this study was to compare the effects of two strength and conditioning programs involving either purely vertically oriented or combining vertically and horizontally oriented exercises on soccer relevant performance variables (i.e. acceleration, jumping ability, peak power, and endurance). Methods: Twenty-two professional male so...

To investigate differences in strength, shoulder range of motion and scapula position in a cohort of boxers in comparison with a control group of non-boxers. Cross-sectional study. 18 boxers with 3 or more years of experience (years = 5.5 ± 3.1, sessions per week = 4.3 ± 0.7, age = 27.0 ± 6.8) and 20 control participants (age = 28.3 ± 4.6). The par...

Background: Direct impacts with the head (linear acceleration or pressure) and inertial loading of the head (rotational acceleration or strain) have been postulated as the 2 major mechanisms of head-related injuries such as concussion. Although data are accumulating for soccer and American football, there are no published data for nonhelmeted colli...

Purpose: To compare mechanical properties of overground sprint running in elite rugby union and rugby league athletes. Methods: Thirty elite rugby code (15 rugby union and 15 rugby league) athletes participated in this cross-sectional analysis. Radar was used to measure maximal overground sprint performance over 20 or 30 m (forwards and backs, r...

Background The effectiveness of rehabilitation programmes are often distorted by the athlete’s desire to return and can result in injury recurrence. Athletic assessments allow for objective and reliable measurements to track rehabilitation progress. This case study used a multi-component assessment strategy to assess a rugby player’s lower-extremit...

Background: Knee joint mechanics during sidestepping are associated with anterior cruciate ligament injury. Unplanned sidestepping more closely emulates game scenarios when compared with planned sidestepping by limiting decision time, increasing knee loading and challenging the integrity of soft-tissue structures in the knee. It is important to qu...

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a pre-season taper on individual power-force-velocity profiles and jump performance in professional National Rugby League (NRL) players. Seven professional rugby league players performed concentric squat jumps using ascending loads of 25, 50, 75, 100% body mass before and after a 21 day st...

The purposes of this study were to investigate the effects of haltere/hand-held loading on the kinematics and kinetics of horizontal jumping, and to determine if an optimum relative load (% BM) exists in order to maximum jump distance. A repeated measures ANOVA with post hoc contrasts was used to determine the effects of haltere loading (no externa...

The aim of this study was to profile the physical characteristics of soccer players measured by acceleration, vertical jump (VJ), horizontal jump (HJ) and change of direction ability (CODA) tests, and quantify the relationships between these characteristics. Additionally, leg asymmetries between dominant and non-dominant legs during unilateral VJ a...

Purpose: The aim of this study was to compare the effects of 2 strength and conditioning programs involving either purely vertically oriented or combining vertically and horizontally oriented exercises on soccer-relevant performance variables (ie, acceleration, jumping ability, peak power, and endurance). Methods: Twenty-two professional male so...

THE CONCEPT OF USING HANDHELD LOADING DURING A STANDING LONG JUMP DATES BACK ALMOST 3,000 YEARS TO ANCIENT GREECE. THIS MAY HAVE BEEN ONE OF THE EARLIEST ATTEMPTS TO PASSIVELY ENHANCE ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE. DESPITE NUMEROUS LIMITATIONS IN THE MORE RECENT LITERATURE, RESEARCHERS HAVE REPORTED ACUTE ENHANCEMENTS IN HORIZONTAL JUMPING DISTANCE. HOWEVER...

Purpose: While several studies have documented isokinetic knee strength in junior and senior rugby league players, investigations of isokinetic knee and hip strength in professional rugby union players are limited. The purpose of this study was to provide lower-extremity strength profiles and compare isokinetic knee and hip strength of professiona...

The purpose of this article was to compare strength, speed and power characteristics between playing position (forwards and backs) in elite rugby league players. A total of 39 first team players (height 183.8 ± 5.95 cm; body mass = 100.3 ± 10.7 kg; age 24 ± 3 years) from a National Rugby League club participated in this study. Testing included 10,...

Manson, SA, Brughelli, M, and Harris, NK. Physiological characteristics of international female soccer players. J Strength Cond Res 28(2): 308-318, 2014-The purpose of this study was to investigate the physiological characteristics of Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) eligible international female soccer players aged 14-36 ye...

The objectives of this study were to examine the consequences of an acute hamstring injury on performance and mechanical properties of sprint-running at the time of returning to sports and after the subsequent ~2 months of regular soccer training after return. 28 semi-professional male soccer players, 14 with a recent history of unilateral hamstrin...

Sport-related concussions are a subset of mild traumatic brain injuries and are a concern for many sporting activities worldwide. To review and update the literature in regard to the history, pathophysiology, recognition, assessment, management and knowledge of concussion. Searches of electronic literature databases were performed to identify studi...

The effects of vest loading on sprint kinetics and kinematics during the acceleration and maximum velocity phases of sprinting are relatively unknown. A repeated measures ANOVA with post hoc contrasts was used to determine whether performing 6 s maximal exertion sprints on a non-motorized force treadmill, under two weighted vest loading conditions...

MULTI-DISCIPLINARY PERSPECTIVES ON THE USE OF LOWER-EXTREMITY INJURY ASSESSMENTS FOR A RUGBY PLAYER’S RETURN-TO-PLAY S R Brown1, M Brughelli1, P A Hume1, D King1, N Gill2, H Craighead3, S Kara4 1Rugby Codes Research Group, Sports Performance Research In New Zealand (SPRINZ) at AUT Millennium Institute, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland...

This study sought to lend experimental support to the theoretical influence of force-velocity (F-v) mechanical profile on jumping performance independently from the effect of maximal power output (P max ). 48 high-level athletes (soccer players, sprinters, rugby players) performed maximal squat jumps with additional loads from 0 to 100% of body mas...

This paper provides an overview of the epidemiology of sport-related concussion and associated costs in New Zealand requiring medical treatment from 2001 to 2011 in seven sports codes. A retrospective review of injury entitlement claims by seven sports from 2001 to 2011. Data were analyzed by sporting code, age, ethnicity, gender and year of compet...

PUNCHING IS A KEY COMPONENT OF STRIKING-BASED COMBAT SPORTS. IT HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED IN BOXING THAT THE ABILITY TO APPLY FORCE VIA PUNCHING TO AN OPPONENT IS PARAMOUNT TO VICTORY. AS SUCH, IT BEHOOVES STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING PROFESSIONALS TO IMPROVE THE PUNCHING FORCE OF COMBAT SPORTS ATHLETES IN GENERAL. THIS REVIEW EXPLORES CURRENT RESEARCH INT...

Aim: To use the King-Devick (KD) test and Sports Concussion Assessment Tool 2 (SCAT2) in amateur rugby union players to identify witnessed and unrecognised episodes of concussion that occurred from match participation. Methods: A prospective observational cohort study was conducted on a premier club level amateur rugby union team during the 2012...

We read with attention the recent narrative literature review by Pearson and McMahon [1]. We were very surprised and quite disappointed by the amount of relevant literature omitted by the authors on lower limb mechanical properties and, specifically, how ‘limb stiffness’ could affect performance and risk of injury. Although this review focuses on m...

The ability to change direction while sprinting is considered essential for successful participation in most team and individual sports. It has traditionally been thought that strength and power development would enhance change of direction (COD) performance. The most common approach to quantifying these relationships, and to discovering determinan...

AN ECCENTRIC MUSCLE ACTION IS DESCRIBED AS A MUSCULAR CONTRACTION OCCURRING WHILE THE MUSCLE IS SIMULTANEOUSLY LENGTHENING. ECCENTRIC MUSCLE ACTIONS CAN BE IMPLEMENTED BY THE STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING SPECIALIST IN A VARIETY OF WAYS TO ACHIEVE A NUMBER OF GOALS FROM INCREASING STRENGTH AND POWER PRODUCTION TO PREVENTION AND REHABILITATION OF INJURY...

The purpose of this study was to determine the reliability of power outputs during maximal-intensity eccentric cycling over short durations (i.e. eccentric sprint cycling) on a "motor-driven" isokinetic ergometer. Fourteen physically active male subjects performed isokinetic eccentric cycling sprints at 40, 60, 80, 100 and 120 revolutions per minut...

Whereas muscle potentiation is consistently demonstrated with evoked contractile properties, the potentiation of functional and physiological measures is inconsistent. The objective was to compare a variety of conditioning stimuli volumes and intensities over a 15-min recovery period. Twelve volleyball players were subjected to conditioning stimuli...

Acute hamstring injuries are the most prevalent muscle injuries reported in sport. Despite a thorough and concentrated effort to prevent and rehabilitate hamstring injuries, injury occurrence and re-injury rates have not improved over the last three decades. This failure is most likely due to the following: (1) a lack of studies with high level of...

Sixteen semiprofessional Australian football players performed running bouts at incremental velocities of 40, 60, 80, and 100% of their maximum velocity on a Woodway nonmotorized force treadmill. As running velocity increased from 40 to 60%, peak vertical and peak horizontal forces increased by 14.3% (effect size [ES] = 1.0) and 34.4% (ES = 4.2), r...

Acute hamstring injuries are the most prevalent muscle injuries reported in sport. Despite a thorough and concentrated effort to prevent and rehabilitate hamstring injuries, injury occurrence and re-injury rates have not improved over the past 28 years. This failure is most likely due to the following: 1) an over-reliance on treating the symptoms o...

To assess the effects of eccentric exercise on optimum lengths of the knee flexors and extensors during the preseason in professional soccer. Twenty-eight athletes from a professional Spanish soccer team (Division II) were randomly assigned to an eccentric exercise intervention group (EG) or a control group (CG). Over the four-week period two athle...

To compare the effects of explosive strength (ExpS) vs. repeated shuttle sprint (RS) training on repeated sprint ability (RSA) in young elite soccer players, 15 elite male adolescents (14.5 ± 0.5 years) performed, in addition to their soccer training program, RS (n = 7) or ExpS (n = 8) training once a week for a total of 10 weeks. RS training consi...

Contralateral leg deficits between lower limbs during athletic movements are thought to increase the risk of injury and compromise performance. The purpose of this study was to quantify the magnitude of leg deficits during running in noninjured and previously injured Australian Rules football (ARF) players. The players included a group of noninjure...

The purpose of this study was to investigate differences in optimum angle of peak torque (knee extensors and flexors) and muscle architecture (vastus lateralis) between 9 cyclists and 9 Australian Rules football (ARF) players. The angles of peak torque of the ARF players were significantly (p < 0.05) greater during knee extension (70.8 +/- 3.5 vs....

The objective of the present study was to investigate the effects of static and dynamic stretching alone and in combination on subsequent agility, sprinting, and jump performance. Eight different stretching protocols: (a) static stretch (SS) to point of discomfort (POD); (b) SS less than POD (SS<POD); (c) dynamic stretching (DS); (d) SS POD combine...

The aims of this study were to examine the relationship between squat 1 repetition maximum (1RM) and basketball-relevant tests and the variables that influence agility (T-test) in elite male professional basketball players (n = 14, age 23.3 +/- 2.7 years, height 195.6 +/- 8.3 cm, body mass 94.2 +/- 10.2 kg). T-test performance was significantly rel...

Case report. To assess an eccentric based intervention on an Australian Football player with recurrent hamstring injuries. The athlete attempted several conventional rehabilitation programs in the past (e.g. physical therapy, manual therapy, acupuncture, active release, medial gluteal strengthening) with no sustained progress in regards to pain, so...

The objective of this study was to provide anthropometric, physiological, and performance characteristics of an elite international handball team. Twenty-one elite handball players were tested and categorized according to their playing positions (goalkeepers, backs, pivots, and wings). Testing consisted of anthropometric and physiological measures...

Mechanical stiffness (vertical, leg and joint stiffness) can be calculated during normal human movements, such as running and hopping. Mechanical stiffness is thought to influence several athletic variables, including rate of force development, elastic energy storage and utilization and sprint kinematics. Consequently, the relationship between mech...

The ability to change direction while sprinting is considered essential for successful participation in most team and individual sports. It has traditionally been thought that strength and power development would enhance change of direction (COD) performance. The most common approach to quantifying these relationships, and to discovering determinan...