Sport-Specific Assessment of the Effectiveness of Neuromuscular Training in Young Athletes

Abstract

Neuromuscular training in young athletes improves performance and decreases the risk of injuries during sports activities. These effects are primarily ascribed to the enhancement of muscle strength and power but also balance, speed and agility. However, most studies have failed to demonstrate significant improvement in these abilities. This is probably due to the fact that traditional tests do not reflect training methods (e.g., plyometric training vs. isometric or isokinetic strength testing, dynamic balance training vs. static balance testing). The protocols utilized in laboratories only partially fulfill the current needs for testing under sport-specific conditions. Moreover, laboratory testing usually requires skilled staff and a well equipped and costly infrastructure. Nevertheless, experience demonstrates that high-technology and expensive testing is not the only way to proceed. A number of physical fitness field tests are available today. However, the low reliability and limited number of parameters retrieved from simple equipment used also limit their application in competitive sports. Thus, there is a need to develop and validate a functional assessment platform based on portable computerized systems. Variables obtained should be directly linked to specific features of particular sports and capture their complexity. This is essential for revealing weak and strong components of athlete performance and design of individually-tailored exercise programs. Therefore, identifying the drawbacks associated with the assessment of athlete performance under sport-specific conditions would provide a basis for the formation of an innovative approach to their long-term systematic testing. This study aims (i) to review the testing methods used for the evaluation of the effect of neuromuscular training on sport-specific performance in young athletes, (ii) to introduce stages within the Sport Longlife Diagnostic Model, and (iii) to propose future research in this topic. Analysis of the literature identified gaps in the current standard testing methods in terms of their low sensitivity in discriminating between athletes of varied ages and performance levels, insufficent tailoring to athlete performance level and individual needs, a lack of specificity to the requirements of particular sports and also in revealing the effect of training. In order to partly fill in these gaps, the Sport Longlife Diagnostic Model was proposed.

Test–retest reliability of physical fitness tests among young athletes: The FITescola® battery

“…The differences between procedures among coaches or researches hamper the standardization of a protocol and consequently a uniform application on the entire population of young athletes. Our results show that the 4 × 10 shuttle run test can be used, instead of others that may be harder to apply (Zemková & Hamar, 2018).…”

A comparison of the balance skills, personality, and temperament of elite sports athletes and football players

“…On the basis of previous research [49,50], it is hypothesized that elite sports athletes will differ in postural balance from football players and also from the control group of nonathletes. Overall, athletes and football players should demonstrate better balance skills than the control sample [51,52].…”

“…Body posture control is an individual feature depending on body build, age, and level of training. Numerous studies show that balance-oriented exercises can improve adaptive posture control and that, the higher the level of competition, the more stable the posture in soccer [13,17,50,58]. The postural regulation of subjects with a better sports performance level was less disturbed by sensorial manipulation than that of sportsmen with a lower level of performance.…”

Evaluation of the Bourban Trunk Muscle Strength Test Based on Electromyographic Parameters

“…The importance of a well developed and stable trunk musculature is well known for everyday life [5], sports [1,6] and affects all age groups [7,8]. In everyday life, trunk stability supports general functionality [1], well-being [6] and is decisively involved in activities of daily life such as sitting, standing, walking or maintaining an upright posture [5]. Futhermore great importance is attributed to the prevention or treatment of back pain.…”

“…Technological progress opens up many possibilities, ranging from mobile force sensors and devices to isokinetic force-measuring chairs. Unfortunately, these are associated with high acquisition costs and high technical proficiency requirements [6]. Up to now there is a lack of reliable, valid and objective test batteries with the necessary test economy, practicability and cost-benefit ratio, especially for screening procedures in everyday life, recreational sports, leisure sports, but also for professional sports [1,13].…”