Adapted Training and
Performance - Research group
CORE STABILITY TRAINING AND PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE IN FEMALE FOOTBALL
PLAYERS COMPETING IN A NATIONAL LEAGUE: A LONGITUDINAL STUDY
Gollin1 M PhD, Beratto2 L PhDc, Abate Daga3 F, Fornea S3, Plescia A3
1 Department
of Clinical and Biological Sciences; Motor Science Research Center, University School of Motor & Sport
Sciences, University of Turin, Italy
2 PhDc in Experimental Medicine and Therapy, University of Turin, Italy
3University School of Motor & Sport Sciences Graduate, University of Turin, Italy
Nowadays structural and deep muscles are usually involved in sport
training schedules with specific exercises because of their essential
role played in lots of sport key movement (Monfort-Panego et al. 2009).
The core acts as a functional center of kinetic chains in many technical
and physical action characterizing various sports. (Kibler et al. 2006),
so a good functionality and training level of this body part is important
to prevent injuries, to asses musculoskeletal disorders of lumbar region
and to maximize athletic skills (Colado et al. 2010). For this reason,
core stability and strength training session are usually performed by
athletes (Nesser et al. 2010). However, it hard to find out information
about the effects directly provoked by a core stability training program
on an open skill discipline performance. So, the aim of this study
consist in try to verify whether core stability training with two different
physical training methods might improve body balance in an upright
position, lower limbs explosive strength and stiffness.
A
Figure 2: The graph shows the effects of a
core stability training performed in USG
(graph A) and an elastic band training
perfomed in EBG (graph B) on balance
ability tested with Libra Easy Tech. Core
stability training brings an immediate
imporvement in balance abilty (graph A,
p<0,005) while elastic band training needs
a longer period to produce its effect
(graph B, p<0,005). Graph C showes how
force production improves after two
months elastic band training ( p<0,005).
B
C
a
b
Figure 1: Players involved game actions and external forces
acting on the body.
Fifteen national-level female footballers were studied over a period of
ten weeks. They were divided into two groups: the Unstable Surface
Group (USG: 8 athletes aged 20±3 years old, weight 57±7 kg, height
163±7 cm) and the Elastic Band Group (EBG: (7 athletes aged 18±2
years old, weight 58±7 kg, height 168±4 cm). The USG performed a
protocol of exercises on unstable surfaces, while the EBG did
exercises with elastic bands. Both groups followed their respective
programmes twice a week. Girls were tested at the beginning of the
study, after 5 weeks and finally after 10 weeks from the starting
period, using the following devices:
A Libra® proprioceptive platform (Easytech, Italy) in two-footed
(bipodalic) and one-footed (monopidalic) positions in order to
evaluate the ability to manage imbalance.
An OptoGait® (Microgate, Italy) for the evaluation of vertical jumps
(squat jump, SJ; countermovement jump, CMJ; CMJ with arms free).
A
Results highlight that both groups improved balance. However, in the
USG this improvement was detected after 5 weeks in reference to the
two-footed (bipodalic) position (T0vsT1, Anova p<0,05; Post hoc
p<0,05, -16% ), while in the EBG after 10 weeks in reference to the
two-footed (bipodalic) position (T0vsT2, Anova p≤0,05; Post hoc
p<0,05, -18%). Moreover, in the EBG, an improvement in the squat
jump was also detected (T0vsT2, Anova p≤0,05; Post hoc p<0,05,
+7%)
B
Figure 3: Exercises for lumbar muscle region performed with core stability
training method (A) and with elastic band (B)
This study shows that a 5 weeks core stability training protocol
on unstable surfaces performed twice a week can improve
balance ability. In addition, it has been demonstrated that a 10
weeks resistance training schedule, performed twice a week
with elastic bands, improves balance and explosive strength in
the lower limbs of football female athletes.
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•Kibler W.B., Press J, Sascia A. The Role Of Core Stability In Athletic Function Sports Medicine. 36 (3): 189-98, 2006
•Colado J.C, Garcia-Masso X, Pellicer M, Alakhdar Y, Benavent J, Cabeza-Ruiz R. A Comparison of Elastic Tubing And Isotonic Resistance Exercises. Int J
Sports Med 2010
•Nesser T, Huxel K.C, Tincher J.L, Okada T. The Relationship Between Core Stability And Performance In Division I Football Players. Journal Of Strength And
Conditioning Research 2008