A Comparative Study of Sports-specific Balance Training versus Plyometric Balance Training

Abstract

Introduction: Football is a sport that involves running as the foremost part in which the lower limb plays a vital role in participation. Balance training is vital to athletic performance and should be integrated into an athlete’s daily training. Plyometric represents the performance of stretch-shortening cycle (SSC) activities that involve a high-intensity eccentric contraction straightaway after a rapid and powerful concentric contraction.Method: It is an experimental study with 30 college male football players in the age group of 18-25 years. Based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, they were divided into 2 groups. Group A consisted of 15 individuals who were trained with sports-specific balance training programmes. Group B consisted of 15 individuals who were trained with plyometric balance training. The individuals were trained for 4 weeks with 3 sessions per week (12 sessions). The pre-test and post-test measurements were measured using the triple hop test, stork balance test, and modified star excursion balance test (MSEBT).Results: Pre-test and post-test results of both groups were compared. The results showed a highly significant difference in mean values at p ≤ 0.001.Conclusion: 4 weeks of sports-specific balance training and plyometric balance training showed significant improvement in lower limb muscle strength in collegiate football players.