Effects of joint distraction exercises on selected motor parameters in male football players
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v82.119214Keywords:
hip distraction; range of motion; countermovement jump; sprint performance; change of directionAbstract
Introduction: Warm-up strategies to enhance joint mobility and motor performance have gained increasing attention in football. However, evidence on the acute effects of joint-distraction exercises remains limited.
Objective: Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the acute effects of joint distraction exercises on selected motor performance parameters in male football players.
Methodology: Twenty-four male university football players (age 22.2 ± 1.4 years) were randomly assigned to a joint-distraction group (n = 12) or a control group (n = 12). Participants completed flexibility, bilateral hip ROM, CMJ, 505 agility, and 30-m sprint tests before and after the intervention.
Results: Significant group × time interaction effects were observed for flexibility (p = .001, ηp² = .386), right hip ROM (p = .041, ηp² = .177), left hip ROM (p = .011, ηp² = .257), CMJ performance (p = .005, ηp² = .302), and sprint performance (p = .049, ηp² = .164). No significant interaction effect was found for agility performance (p > .05). The joint-distraction group demonstrated superior improvements in ROM and explosive performance parameters compared with the control group.
Discussion: The findings were consistent with previous studies, although agility performance remained unchanged.
Conclusions: These findings suggest that hip joint-distraction exercises may acutely enhance lower-body performance and sprint ability in recreational football players, while having limited influence on change-of-direction performance.
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