Effectiveness of the FIFA 11+ Warm-Up in Improving Lower Extremity Biomechanics and Change of Direction Performance

Date

2022-05

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Florida Southern College

Abstract

The prevention of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury and the enhancement of sports performance are two common goals when working with athletes, and lower extremity biomechanics have been identified as modifiable factors for both. There is an abundance of research identifying the factors associated with ACL injury prevention and performance improvement, and there are various injury prevention programs (IPP) developed to correct faulty biomechanical movement patterns. While previous research has established the efficacy of these IPPs in reducing injury rates, it remains unclear if IPPs have positive effects on athletic performance. Specifically, there is little research that investigates the role of IPPs in improving the ability to perform a change of direction (COD) task. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine if participation in an IPP could reduce the rate of injury and improve the performance of a COD task. Twelve Division II collegiate, female soccer players participated in this study (six treatment, six control), with COD time and biomechanics, Landing Error Scoring System (LESS) assessment, and vertical jump ground reaction forces (GRFs) measured pre and post-intervention. Results found that there was a main effect for time across multiple variables and changes in left knee valgus angle in the control group from pre to post were statistically significant (p=.034). For all other variables, there was no significance across intervention or the combination of intervention and time. Therefore, further studies with larger samples should be conducted to improve understanding of the topic.

Description

Honors Thesis Spring 2022

Keywords

Sports injuries, Soccer

Citation

DOI

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