Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of core training program on speed, acceleration, vertical jump, and standing long jump in female soccer players. A total of 40 female soccer players volunteered to participate in this study. They were divided randomly into 1 of 2 groups: core training group (CTG; n = 20) and control group (CG; n = 20). The mean (SD) age was 19.05 ± 1.15 years, height was 160.60 ± 4.22 cm, weight was 56.45 ± 3.33 kg, and sport age was 4.50 ± 1.24 for the core training group; the mean (SD) age was 18.55 ± 0.76 years, height was 159.10 ± 3.86 cm, weight was 52.20 ± 3.60 kg, and sport age was 3.35 ± 0.75 years for the control group. Following randomization, the 2 groups did not differ significantly (p>0.05) in any of the dependent variables. The subjects in the control group did not participate in the training and participated only in the pre- and posttest measurements. To evaluate the effect of core training over the functional performance, we applied a testing procedure that included measurements of speed, acceleration, vertical jump, and standing long jump. The core training group showed a 3.4%, 5.9%, 13.3%, 4.2% improvement in speed, acceleration, vertical jump, and standing long jump (respectively) (P<0.05), whereas the control group did not change (P>0.05). In conclusion, Core exercises were improved speed, acceleration, vertical jump, and standing long jump in 18-19 years-old female soccer players. Therefore, it is believed core training is necessary for optimal sport performance and should not be dismissed for all sport branches.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.