Aspects relating to the development of motor skills, strength, and balance in U16 football

Abstract

Regarding the process of development of young athletes, our primary focus is their health. It is widely recognized that a significant injury can slow down the process of development in the best-case scenario, or prematurely end an athlete’s career, in the worst-case scenario. The nature of football introduces a heightened risk of injuries due to its dynamic and unpredictable characteristics. In order to optimize our efforts in the process of preventing these injuries, we believe that the best practice is to understand the pillars on which performance in football is based, and adapt our training plans and sessions to address particular weaknesses. The two pillars that need our full attention are strength and balance. To pinpoint the vulnerabilities of young athletes, we employed two devices to measure both balance and strength in each athlete. A total of two tests were conducted for each athlete, measuring maximal power in the lower body, dynamic balance from one foot to the other, limb asymmetry in terms of muscle strength, and dynamic balance. The study confirmed that neuromuscular control has a key role in the effective utilization of power by the athlete, as in the dynamic balance test, football team B used less power and recorded (at the same time) a lower limb asymmetry score than team A.