Acute effects of cognitive based neuromuscular education and game based education on the balance and performance of healthy young football players

The aim of this study was to investigate the acute effects of two different trainings on balance and performance of healthy young footballers. Forty-ninemale soccer players who were playing in the substructure of two professional soccer teams participated in the study. Alongside with activities specific to football, 16 soccer players were present in Cognitive Based Neuromascular Education (CBNE) which covers the the ability to focus on different tasks simultaneously and maintaining coordination over neuromascular functions. 17 soccer players were present in the Game Based Education (GBE) group which contains football, tennis, bowling, shooting, racing and climbing games and 16 soccer players were present in the control group. The Star Excursion Balance Test was used to evaluate the dynamic balance. The measurements were taken for both right and left side in 8 directions as anterior (A), anterolateral (AL), lateral (L), posterolateral (PL), posterior (P), posteromedial (PM), medial (M) and anteromedial (AM). Performance was assessed using the Speed Dribbling test. Measurements were made just before and after the educations. Significant improvement was observed in all other directions except the A, AL and AM directions in the CBNE group (p<0,05). The balance of individuals who received GBE improved in all directions (p<0,05). Significant improvement was observed in all the directions except for A and AM directions in the control group (p<0,05). CBNE and GBE provided significant improvement in the performance of footballers (p<0,05). The improvement in the performance of the individuals in the control group was not significant (p>0,05). As a result; It has been shown that CBNE and GBE can provide contributions in terms of dynamic balance and performance and it has been shown that if they are included in the training of the players, they will have successful results. Key words: Postural balance, athletic performance, sports injuries, exercise