Postural stability is a condition of high quality performance, especially in shooting discipline in modern pentathlon. The aim of the study was to describe the level of postural stability of modern pentathletes and to assess its changes in terms of the type of stances.
The research group consisted of modern pentathletes (female n = 5, male n = 7, age 18.7 ± 2.6 years), who were members of wider national team of the Czech Republic in that season. Indicators of postural stability (PS) were assessed from measurement on FootScan force plate.
PS was measured in narrow stance with and without sight control (USOO and USZO), flamingo stance on the right (FP) and left leg (FL) and flamingo stance on a foam surface on the right (MFP) and left leg (MFL) using parameters of CoP’s total travelled way (TTW) and body sways in the lateral (∆X) and sagittal plane (∆Y). Comparison of USOO and USZO revealed both statistically and effect size significant differences in TTW parameter (p 0.8).
When comparing results of FP and FL tests we did not find any significant differences (p > 0.05). Similar results were achieved in comparison of indicators in MFP and MFL tests.
In comparison of PS in FP and MFP stances, or FL and MFL, respectively, we found similar results when we recorded statistically and effect size significant difference in TTW parameter (p 0.8) and in case of FP and MFP in ∆Y parameter, too. In the tested participants, there is obvious determinacy of postural stability by quality and amount of afferent information form peripheral structures.