ORIGINAL ARTICLE   

Gazzetta Medica Italiana - Archivio per le Scienze Mediche 2020 April;179(4):282-9

DOI: 10.23736/S0393-3660.19.04106-8

Copyright © 2019 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

lingua: Inglese

Effects of a forefoot-oriented exercise intervention on jumping performance in volleyball players: a randomized controlled intervention study

Rudi FRANKINOUILLE ^{1, 2} ✉, Heiner BAUR ³, Dirk VISSERS ¹, Jan TAEYMANS ³, Jan GIELEN ^{1, 2}, Carolin SCHULZ ³

¹ Department of Rehabilitation Sciences and Physiotherapy, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium; ² Department of S. P. O. R. T. S., Antwerp University Hospital, Edegem, Belgium; ³ Health Division, Bern University of Applied Sciences, Bern, Switzerland

BACKGROUND: This study investigates the effects of a 12-week forefoot-oriented exercise intervention on jumping performance in male and female volleyball players.
METHODS: A total of 93 (age 24.2±4.6 y) volleyball players with a similar training load were randomly assigned to an intervention group (IG; N.=42) performing a 15-min forefoot oriented intervention during their warm-up procedure for 12 weeks or a control group (CG; N.=51). Athletes were evaluated for jumping using squat jump (SJ) and countermovement jump (CMJ) tests before and after intervention.
RESULTS: The CG showed improvements in SJ of 1.6±3.5 cm (7.4±14.7%) and CMJ of 0.6±3.5 cm (2.9±12.1%). The IG showed improvements in SJ of 1.1±3.8 cm (4.8±14.0%) and a decline in CMJ of -0.5±7.1 cm (1.1±20.2%). Two-way repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed no significant interaction effects for SJ (P=0.535) and CMJ (P=0.297). Within subject tests indicated a significant time effect for SJ (P=0.001), but no significant group effect (P=0.560). In CMJ no significant main effects were found.
CONCLUSIONS: Applying a forefoot-oriented exercise intervention over a period of 12 weeks showed no considerable effect on jumping performance in volleyball players.

KEY WORDS: Running; Warm-up exercise; Volleyball; Athletes