Basic Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2017. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Orthop. Apr 18, 2017; 8(4): 317-321
Published online Apr 18, 2017. doi: 10.5312/wjo.v8.i4.317
Effect of a specialized injury prevention program on static balance, dynamic balance and kicking accuracy of young soccer players
Ayelet Dunsky, Ido Barzilay, Orly Fox
Ayelet Dunsky, Ido Barzilay, Orly Fox, Department of Biomechanics, the Zinman College of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, Wingate Institute, Netanya 42902, Israel
Author contributions: Dunsky A designed and coordinated the research, and wrote the paper; Barzilay I performed the majority of experiments; Fox O analyzed the data.
Institutional review board statement: The study was reviewed and approved by the Zinman College of Physical Education and Sport Sciences Institutional Review Board.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Data sharing statement: No additional data are available.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Correspondence to: Ayelet Dunsky, PhD, Senior Lecturer, Department of Biomechanics, the Zinman College of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, Wingate Institute, On Route 4, Netanya 42902, Israel. ayelet@wincol.ac.il
Telephone: +972-9-8639308 Fax: +972-9-8639298
Received: September 26, 2016
Peer-review started: September 28, 2016
First decision: November 10, 2016
Revised: January 11, 2017
Accepted: February 8, 2017
Article in press: February 13, 2017
Published online: April 18, 2017
Abstract
AIM

To study the effect of balance intervention program using the “FIFA 11+” program on static and dynamic balance and kicking accuracy of young soccer players.

METHODS

Twenty young soccer players were allocated to experimental (n = 10) or control (n = 10) groups. The experimental group performed the “FIFA 11+” program three times a week for six weeks. The control group performed their normal warm-up routine. The primary outcomes were measured pre and post intervention, and assessed kicking accuracy, static balance and dynamic balance.

RESULTS

No differences were found in kicking accuracy following intervention, for both groups, however, static balance improved significantly among the experimental group with significant interaction with the control group, and with high effect size. In addition, the dynamic balance of the left leg of the experimental group, with medium effect size for interaction between groups.

CONCLUSION

The large effect size of balance improvement that was observed following six weeks of intervention sessions, implies that soccer trainers and coaches should consider the inclusion of “FIFA 11+” as components of programs aimed at improving balance ability/control in young soccer players, as improvement in balance abilities may prevent injuries.

Keywords: Soccer, Injury prevention, Balance, Warm-up, Kicking accuracy

Core tip: The implementation of “FIFA 11+” for six weeks of intervention, led to a large effect size of balance improvement among young soccer players. As improvement in balance abilities may prevent injuries, soccer trainers and coaches should consider the inclusion of “FIFA 11+” as a component of training programs in young soccer players.