Effects of functional training on sprinting, jumping, and functional movement in athletes: A systematic review

Abstract

This systematic review aims to illuminate the effects of functional training on sprinting, jumping, and functional movements in athletes. A systematic search of electronic databases—that include PubMed, EBSCOhost (Sport Discus), SCOPUS, ProQuest, Google Scholar, and additional references—was carried out using keywords associated with functional training, jumping, sprinting, functional movement skills, and athletes, in compliance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement criteria. The Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scale was used to measure the methodological quality of the studies included in the systematic review. Results: From a total of 220 studies, 15 included ones met all eligibility criteria and were scored between 4-5 points—considered as“ moderate quality”—by the PEDro scale. Most studies recorded positive effects of functional training on athletes’ sprinting, jumping, and functional movement. In contrast, a small number of studies did not find any positive effects of functional training on sprinting, squat jump, vertical jump, and countermovement jump due to the short duration and frequency of the training, as well as the lack of additional exercises that come with the interventions. Furthermore, the reviewed studies reveal that there is limited research within the literature on 5, 15, 25, and 50 m sprinting, squat jump, quadrant jump, and functional movement in athletes. Conclusion: Although the length of training interventions varied across studies in this systematic review, functional training interventions were found to help improve athletes’ performance. The review reveals that training duration, intensity, and frequency are some critical variables that need to be taken into account when developing a successful functional training intervention for athletes. More studies are required to evaluate the influence of different accessible functional training durations on athletes’ sprinting, jumping performance, and functional movement. Finally, further research needs to be done to investigate the impacts of functional training on performance and movement skills of male and female athletes at all levels in other sports.Systematic Review Registration: https://inplasy.com/inplasy-2022-5-0130/, identifier INPLASY202250130

The effects of functional training on physical fitness and skill-related performance among basketball players: a systematic review

“…The results illustrated the significant improvement in linear sprints across 20–40 m in basketball players with FT. These results are not in line with those reported in a previous systematic review ( Bashir et al, 2022 ) examining athletes from different team sports. Bashir et al (2022) reported that the improvement in some linear speed performance among athletes after FT was not observed in a small number of studies due to the short duration and frequency of the training sessions, as well as the absence of additional exercises accompanying the FT interventions.…”

“…These results are not in line with those reported in a previous systematic review ( Bashir et al, 2022 ) examining athletes from different team sports. Bashir et al (2022) reported that the improvement in some linear speed performance among athletes after FT was not observed in a small number of studies due to the short duration and frequency of the training sessions, as well as the absence of additional exercises accompanying the FT interventions. However, the studies included in our review may have incorporated FT stimuli that enhanced the coordination between the nervous system and muscles, which is important for executing the complex movements involved in sprinting ( Keiner et al, 2022 ).…”

“…To the best of our knowledge, several reviews have reported that FT can enhance sport-related performance ( Wilke and Mohr, 2020 ; Xiao et al, 2021 ; Bashir et al, 2022 ), but there is a gap in literature specifically investigating the effects of FT on physical fitness and skills of basketball players. Consequently, this systematic review aims to elucidate the impact of FT on physical fitness and skill performance among basketball players.…”

The Impact of Functional Training on Physical Abilities in Combat Sport: A Mini Review

“…Fighting in combat sports often results in enormous stress on the body, and the risk of injury is very high. Functional training helps prepare an athlete's body as a whole, including strengthening core muscles, increasing joint stability, and improving body coordination (Bashir et al, 2022). Therefore, it can help reduce the risk of injury and extend the athlete's career.…”

The Effects of Functional Training on Muscle Strength in Athletes: A Meta-Analysis

“…Power was assessed through tests like the standing long jump (SLJ)[3,27], countermovement jump (CMJ) [9,71,100] and medicine ball throw(TMBP)[112]. Muscular endurance was evaluated by the number of 1-minute sit-ups (SU)[17,38], number of push-ups (PSU)[13,50], and number of pull-ups (PLU)[12].…”