Information about project titled 'Effect of 11+ on performance and injury risk'
Effect of 11+ on performance and injury risk
| Details about the project - category | Details about the project - value |
|---|---|
| Project status: | Published |
| Project manager: | Kathrin Steffen |
| Supervisor(s): | Carolyn Emery, Willem Meeuwisse |
| Coworker(s): | Maria Romiti, Jane Kang, Caroline Finch, Mario Bizzini, Jiri Dvorak |
Description
Background
A protective effect on injury risk in youth sports through neuromuscular warm-up training routines has consistently been demonstrated. However, there is a paucity of information regarding the quantity and quality of coach-led injury prevention programs and its impact on the physical performance of players.
The aim of this cluster-randomized controlled trial is to assess whether different delivery methods of an injury prevention program (FIFA 11+) to coaches could improve player performance, and to examine the effect of player adherence on performance and injury risk.
Method
During the 2011 football season (May-August), coaches of 31 Tier 1-3 level teams will be introduced to the 11+ through either an unsupervised website or a coach-focused workshop with and without additional on-field supervisions. Playing exposure, adherence to the 11+, and injuries will be recorded for female 13-18-year old players. Performance testing include the Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT), single-leg balance, triple hop, and jumping-over-a-bar tests.
Perspective
Sport-specific performance is often synonymous with winning. Several neuromuscular injury prevention warm-up programs, including the 11+, have been shown to be highly successful in reducing injury risk among young team sport athletes. However, implementation of the best practice to the sports community is one of today’s biggest research challenges. If these intervention programs were designed to not just prevent injuries, but also increase performance, combined performance and prevention training could be instituted with a higher potential for coach and athlete compliance.