ABSTRACT
The lunge movement is common in most racket games. When shots are hit wide the player must move and make a long stretching stride in order to execute a return shot. The unusual position and speed of movement would be expected to place large stresses on the body. These stresses can lead to muscle soreness and muscle damage, and possibly a longer term effect on the joints. Although a successful lunge is a feature of a skilled player, poorer players are often forced into making such a movement due to poor court positioning. Under these circumstances a forced rather than planned lunge may have different kinetic characteristics. The purposes of this study were :-1) to measure the external ground reaction forces generated during a lunge movement in badminton and 2) to estimate the internal muscle forces acting in the major muscles and muscle groups of the support leg.
