The investigation of the effects of dynamic leg stretching exercises on leg strength, vertical and horizontal jump in adolescent volleyball players

This study aims to investigate the effects of dynamic leg stretching exercises on leg strength, vertical jump, and horizontal jump in adolescent volleyball players. A total of 36 healthy female athletes, aged between 14 and 16, voluntarily participated in the study. The participants were selected from volleyball players who were actively participating in volleyball training at Kahta Atak Sports Club during the 2023-2024 season. Before the experiment, the participants' age, height, body weight, leg strength, vertical jump, and horizontal jump were measured as pre-test values. The experimental group performed dynamic leg stretching exercises in addition to their regular volleyball training, three days a week. The control group did not participate in any additional exercises other than volleyball training. After 8 weeks, post-test measurements were taken for both the experimental and control groups. The data collected from the study were summarized as mean, minimum, maximum, and standard deviation. To determine the homogeneity between the experimental and control groups, an independent samples t-test was applied. Additionally, to compare the pre-test and post-test data of the experimental and control groups, a paired t-test was used. The results showed a significant difference in favor of the experimental group in terms of leg strength, vertical jump, and horizontal jump, based on the comparison of pre-test and post-test data (p<0.05). The results of this study are consistent with those of previous research in the literature. In conclusion, dynamic leg stretching exercises have a positive effect on leg strength, vertical jump, and horizontal jump performance. Based on these findings, it is suggested that incorporating dynamic leg stretching exercises into training programs can positively contribute to athletes' training and competition performance. Keywords: Volleyball, Dynamic Stretching, Leg Strength, Vertical Jump, Horizontal Jump.