RQES: March 2011 21 Teixeira, de Oliveira, Romano, and Correa Copyrighted Material. Not for Reprint or Redistribution Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport ©2011 by the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance Vol. 82, No. 1, pp. 21– 27 Key words: equilibrium, footedness, lateral preference, laterality L ateralization of sensorimotor functions in humans has been conceived to be a dynamic process rather than a motor component predetermined by inborn structural asymmetry in the nervous system (Provins, 1997; Serrien, Ivry, & Swinnen, 2006; Teixeira, 2008). Recent findings supported this view by showing the effect of requiring consistent right-handers to practice a task with the left hand (Teixeira & Teixeira, 2007). Following this uni- manual practice, most participants showed a persistent shift of manual preference for the hand used to practice the experimental task. Further investigation revealed that a shift of manual preference generalizes to manual move- ments other than those specifically practiced (Teixeira & Okazaki, 2007). From those observations, it is apparent that lateralized practice is an important element in shift- ing original lateral preferences. Such a conclusion has implications for sport settings, because athletes in many sports undergo differential practice between the right and left limbs throughout several years of intensive train- ing. Following numerous trials with each limb having a specific role in a given task, the expected result would be a modification of the original lateral preference for that task. Namely, increasing the strength of the original lateral preference observed before training or shifting it when training emphasizes use of the originally nonpreferred limb for the main function. Supporting this assump- tion was an investigation comparing lateral preferences between judo sportsmen and controls in a number of motor tasks (Mikheev, Mohrb, Afanasiev, Landis, & Thut, 2002). The results indicated that right-handed judo sportsmen preferred to perform particular motor tasks more frequently with their left hand compared to the controls. Such a characteristic was especially evident in participants considered to be most proficient at the sport. This finding suggests that increased use of the left hand to perform specific skills in judo leads to modulation of manual preference in those individuals 1 . Leg Preference and Interlateral Asymmetry of Balance Stability in Soccer Players Luis Augusto Teixeira, Dalton Lustosa de Oliveira, Rosângela Guimarães Romano, and Sônia Cavalcanti Correa Submitted: January 2, 2009 Accepted: June 29, 2009 Luis Augusto Teixeira is with the Human Motor Systems Laboratory at the University of São Paulo. Dalton Lustosa de Oliveira, Rosângela Guimarães Romano, and Sônia Cavalcanti Correa are with the Physical Education Course Laboratory at Presbyterian University Mackenzie. To examine the effect of long lasting practice on pedal behavior in sport, we compared experienced adult soccer players and nonsoccer players on leg preference in motor tasks requiring general mobilization, soccer related mobilization, and body balance stabilization. We also evaluated performance asymmetry between the right and left legs in static and dynamic unipedal body balance, based on center of pressure displacement, and correlated that with leg preference in balance stabilization tasks. Results revealed (a) a distinct leg preference between mobilization and stabilization tasks, which were significantly different between players and nonplayers, (b) similar balance stability between the right and left legs, (c) greater stability of experienced players compared with nonplayers in static and dynamic balance, and (d) absence of a significant leg preference correlation with interlateral balance asymmetry. These results suggest an effect of extensive soccer skill practice on establishing leg preference for specific mobilization tasks and overall balance control. Motor Behavior Teixeira.indd 21 3/24/2011 1:42:04 PM