The Effect of a Core Training Program Applied on Football Players on Some Performance Parameters

Abstract

In this study, it was aimed to examine the effect of a core training program that was applied on football players on some performance parameters. In total, 40 football players, aged between 18 and 24 years old, who regularly trained in football and were from various amateur football teams participated: 20 athletes in the training group and 20 athletes in the control group. It was taken the pre-test measurements of the athletes’ vertical jump, 30-m speed, agility, and flexibility; after the 6-week core training program, which was applied three days a-week, and it was taken the post-test measurements of the athletes. The training group applied the core training in addition to football training for 6-week, whereas the participants in the control group did not apply any training program other than their ongoing football training. It was used the SPSS 22 statistics program to evaluate the data and Shapiro-Wilk test to determine the normality distribution of the data. Owing to the normal distribution of the data, it was used a paired t-test to compare the pre-test and post-test values within the groups and accepted the confidence interval for statistical processes as p < 0.05. It was found a statistically significant difference in the vertical jump pre-test and post-test values of the training group (p < 0.05). In the control group, there was no statistically significant difference in the vertical jump pre-test and post-test values (p > 0.05). It was found a statistically significant difference in the 30-m speed pre-test and post-test values of the training group (p < 0.05). In the control group, there was no statistically significant difference in the 30-m speed pre-test and post-test values (p > 0.05). It was found a statistically significant difference in the agility pre-test and post-test values of the training group (p < 0.05). In the control group, no statistically significant difference was found in the agility pre-test and post-test values (p > 0.05). Considering the in-group flexibility pre-test and post-test comparisons, a statistically significant difference was found in the flexibility pre-test and post-test values of the training group (p < 0.05). In the control group, there was no statistically significant difference in flexibility pre-test and post-test values (p > 0.05). Based on the results of the present research, the 6-week core training program that was applied to football players improved the performance of vertical jump, 30-m speed, agility, and flexibility.