| Sumario: | The effect of exercise‐induced muscle damage (EIMD) on three‐dimensional side cut biomechanics and task achievement were assessed in 16 team sport athletes (eight males and eight females) who completed 45° side cuts before and 48 h after multidirectional running. Angular displacement and joint moments of the hip and knee, and GRF impulse (IGRF) during five successful trials of a 45° side cut, were collected using a 3D motion capture system and force platform at both timepoints. At 48 h, participants had more knee internal rotation (p = 0.009), knee abduction ROM (p = 0.002), lower peak knee extensor moment (p = 0.001) and a higher hip‐knee extensor ratio moment (p = 0.020). Large increases in IGRF at 48 h in females (d; ± 95% CI: 1.4; ± 1.4, p = 0.037) suggest a less effective deceleration capacity. Whilst EIMD had no effect on side cut task achievement and sagittal kinematics, EIMD caused participants to shift the extensor demands away from the knee and towards the hip to decelerate the body. Practitioners should be mindful of potential increases in frontal and transverse motions at the knee for athletes with EIMD, which might have implications for strategies to reduce injury risk. Highlights: Multidirectional running mimicking the movement demands of team sport activity offers an ecologically valid model to study EIMD.Whilst task achievement and sagittal side cut kinematics were not affected by EIMD, some impairment to transverse and frontal knee kinematics during a side cut were observed, which could have implications for ACL injury risk.EIMD caused participants to shift the extensor demands away from the knee and towards the hip during side cutting and caused a less effective deceleration capacity in females.
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