The Effect of Proprioceptive Training on High-Intensity Actions and Technique in Football Players: A Training Program

Abstract

It is aimed to determine the level of influence of proprioceptive training applied to young football players on high-intensity actions and footballspecific skills of football players. The research group consists of 30 male football players (age = 15.86 ± 0.69). The participants were divided into 2 groups as proprioceptive training group (PTG) and control group, each consisting of 15 football players. The body height and body weight of the participants were measured. Hand-eye coordination, vertical jump, sprint, agility, and core endurance tests, which are defined as high-intensity actions, were applied to the participants. Dynamic balance performances of the participants were also determined. Passing, ball control and dribbling were measured by international tests to determine the participants' football-specific skills. No significant differences were found between the groups in the comparison of PTG and CG in terms of high-intensity actions (p>0.05). There was also no significant difference in the comparison of the dynamic balance performance of both dominant and non-dominant feet (p>0.05). Significant differences were determined in favor of the PTG group in the variables of football-specific skills such as pass shot rate and the number of ball control (p0.05). As a result, it can be stated that in addition to football training, proprioceptive training contributes positively to the development of skills such as passing and ball control, which we can show among the basic football skills.