Background: In lower levels of play, the lateral ankle sprain is the most common time loss injury, especially amongst male youth soccer players.Purpose: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of an injury prevention program on the incidence of ankle injuries in male youth amateur players.Study Design: Randomized controlled trial study.Methods: Fifty boys (mean ±SD: age 13.3±0.4 yr; body mass index of 20.9 ± 1.5 kg/m2; stature: 1.6 ± 0.1 m) from two sport schools, with 4.4 ± 0.5 years playing experience, participated. Players were randomly assigned to either an experimental (EXP, n = 25) or a control (CON, n = 25) group. A physical exercise program designed exclusively for youth male soccer players was combined with education of athletes and coaches to increase awareness of injury risk. Over 1 year all injuries were documented monthly by physiotherapist. Complete monthly injury reports were available for 50 players.Results: Nine ankle injuries occurred in the EXP group and 20 injuries occurred in the CON group, corresponding to incidence rates of 0.96 and 2.16, respectively, per 1000 player hours, which equates to 55% fewer injuries in the EXP group.Conclusions: The incidence of ankle injuries among youth male soccer players can be reduced by implementation of a multifaceted, soccer-specific physical exercise program. Coaches and players need better education regarding injury prevention strategies and should include such interventions as part of their regular training.
Purpose: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of a training program on physical performance in junior male soccer players. Methods: Twenty five players (mean age = 13.28 ± 0.45 years), were randomly assigned to either an experimental group (n-13) or a control group (n-12). The experimental group followed the warm-up training program, 5 days per week for 12 weeks. The control group performed the usual warm-up training. Before, middle and after the intervention, both groups performed a battery of soccer-specific physical tests, including (1) Standing long jump test (explosive leg power), (2) Sargent jump test (vertical leg power), (3) Illinois agility test (agility), (4) Prone hold test (core stability/abdominal muscle endurance), and (5) Running speed test (speed). Data were analyzed by Repeated Measures ANOVA for comparison between groups to evaluate the changes over time. Results: At the end of the intervention the experimental group showed superior changes compared to the control group for explosive leg power (12.85% vs 1.58%), vertical leg power (18.45% vs 3.78%), agility (-4.49% vs 0.76%), muscle endurance (98.85% vs 8.08%) and running speed (-6.16% vs 1.11%).Conclusions: These findings demonstrate that the warm-up training program is an appropriate and effective tool for improving soccer-specific physical performance characteristics of junior soccer players.
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