The effect of 6-week balance training on soccer-specific technical skills in soccer players

Abstract

Due to the nature of football, players perform a series of unstable movements during the game. In this context, balance skill is important for football players. The aim of the study is to examine the effects of balance training on football specific technical skills. 22 male amateur football players competing in the 1st amateur league participated by filling a "Informed Volunteer Form". Participants were randomly divided into Balance Training Group (BTG) and Classic Football Training Group (CFTG). Before the training session, physical characteristics such as age, height, body weight, as well as Flamingo balance, Star balance, Yeagley (Bounce), Mor-Christian football general ability (drilling, shooting and short-distance passing) and long distance passing tests were applied. While the 6-week classical football training protocol was applied to the CFTG group, additional balance training was performed to the BTG group. The total training loads of both training groups were equal. The analysis of the data was evaluated according to the significance level of p<0.05 in the SPSS 20 statistical program. The pretest and post-test values of the BTG and CFTG groups were recorded, and the "Paired Samples and Independent Samples Test" was applied to the data with normal distribution, and the "Wilcoxon and Mann Whitney Test" for unnormal distribution. As a result, it was hypothesized that the balance training methods would improve the technical skills of football players in the dominant and nondominant legs. As a result of this study, it was seen that the balance training methods applied in the research improved the technical skills of the football players in the dominant and non-dominant legs, and there was a statistically significant differences p<0,05). As a result of the findings we obtained in our study, the balance training method we used; It was seen that the research group developed both balance skills and technical skills in the dominant and non-dominant legs, and this development was a statistically significant improvement.