Abstract
The primary aim of the study was to determine the effects of an eight-week barefoot training programme on ankle stability, agility and speed in 20 competitive female netball players (age 20 ±2 years). Before and after the intervention, all players were assessed for stability, agility and speed. The barefoot training group (n = 10) significantly improved their overall stability of the right leg ( p = 0.01; d = 1.62), anterior-posterior stability of the right leg ( p = 0.01; d = 1.63), the medial-lateral stability of the right leg ( p = 0.04; d = 1.14) and performance in the 505-Agility test to the left ( p = 0.01; d = 1.04) and right ( p = 0.002; d = 1.4). The shod or control group (n=10) showed no statistically significant improvements in any of the performance tests. A large practical significant difference between the barefoot and control group was found in their 10 m ( d = 1.01) and 20 m sprint ( d = 0.8) performances after the intervention period. It could be concluded that barefoot training had a positive effect on agility and ankle stability, which could possibly enhance netball performance and play a role in the prevention of ankle injuries.
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