THE EFFECTS OF RESISTANCE BAND EXERCISES ON SOME PERFORMANCE PARAMETERS IN YOUNG FOOTBALL PLAYERS

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the acute effect of resistance band exercises on some performance parameters in young football players. Active and trained 16 male football players (age: 15.18 ± .40 years; height: 170.81 ± 7.21 cm; weight: 59.43 ± 8.61 kg; body mass index (BMI): 20.26 ± 1.60 kg/m2) voluntarily participated in this study. Subjects performed two different warmup protocols including jogging+dynamic stretching exercises and jogging+dynamic stretching+resistance band exercises on non-consecutive days. Following the warm-up protocols and then three minutes of passive recovery, subjects were tested on the balance test, reaction time test, vertical jump and anaerobic power test, Illinois agility test, 30-m sprint, and ball kicking speed. Data were checked for normality by using Shapiro-Wilk test. Comparison between groups was analyzed with paired sample t-test. Besides, Cohen’s d was utilized in calculation of effect size. Statistical analyses and interpretations of the data were accepted as p<0.05. In comparison of the balance, vertical jump, 30-m sprint, and Illinois agility tests results between two groups, resistance band exercises were found to have positive effects on performance in all tests. However, statistically significant differences were detected in balance, agility, and sprint tests (p<0.05). In conclusion, balance, vertical jump, 30-m sprint, and Illinois agility test performance parameters of football players improved following the resistance band exercises. Accordingly, it is recommended that coaches and athletes incorporate resistance band exercises into sport-specific warmup protocols, and resistance band exercises should be performed in pre-training warm up session for achieving high performance in football players.