Examination of the effect of 8-week core training program on some motoric parameters in 12-13 year old football players

This research was conducted to examine the effects of an 8-week core training program on selected motor parameters of 12-13-year-old male football players. A total of 30 male football players participated in the study, including 15 players in the experimental group with an average age of 12.6±0.50 years, an average height of 156.93±6.31 cm, an average body weight of 49.73±9.56 kg, and an average body mass index (BMI) of 20.06±2.88 kg/m², and 15 players in the control group with an average age of 12.66±0.48 years, an average height of 153.80±10.55 cm, an average body weight of 47±11.56 kg, and an average BMI of 19.62±3 kg/m². For the measurements conducted, a photocell system was used for the 30-meter sprint test, a sit-and-reach bench was used for the Sit and Reach Flexibility Test, a flamingo balance device was used for the Flamingo Balance Test, a SmartJumpbranded jump meter was used for the vertical jump test, and a device measuring the Functional Movement Analysis (FMS) was employed for the FMS test. The collected measurement data were analyzed using SPSS-26 statistical software. Pre-test and post-test measurement results of the experimental and control groups over the 8-week period were compared. The paired sample t-test was applied to compare pre-test and post-test data, while the independent sample t-test was used for comparisons between independent groups. A significance level of 0.01 and 0.05 was used to evaluate the differences between the variables. In the 30-meter sprint test results, a statistically significant difference was observed in both the experimental and control groups (p<0.01). In the Sit and Reach Flexibility Test results, a statistically significant difference was found in the experimental group (p<0.01), whereas no statistical significance was found in the control group (p>0.05). In the Flamingo Balance Test results, a statistically significant improvement was observed in the experimental group (p<0.05), but no statistical significance was observed in the control group (p>0.05). In the vertical jump test results, statistically significant improvements were observed in both the experimental and control groups (p<0.01). For the FMS test results, statistically significant improvements were found in both the experimental and control groups (p<0.01). In conclusion; It is thought that an 8-week core training program has positive effects on football players30-meter speed, flexibility, balance, vertical jump and Functional Movement Analysis parameters, and it may be recommended to include these studies in training programs. KEYWORDS: Football, Core, Training, Athlete, Performance