Name: Effects of a Novel Neuromuscular Training Intervention on Jump, Sprint, and Change of Direction in Adult Female Soccer Players (Video) | JoVE Journal
Uploaded: 2025-06-10T15:00:00.000+00:00
Duration: 10 min 8 s
Description: Learn a neuromuscular training protocol to improve jump, sprint, and change of direction performance in adult female soccer players. This method enhances speed, agility, and strength through progressive exercises.

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5 minutes

The authors thank all the female players who participated in this study. There is no funding source for the study.

The authors have nothing to disclose.
AUTHOR CONTRIBUTION: 
Alberto Roso-Moliner: Writing - original draft, Validation, Software, Resources, Methodology, Investigation, Formal analysis, Conceptualization. Demetrio Lozano: Writing - original draft, Validation, Project administration, Investigation, Conceptualization. Oscar Villanueva-Guerrero: Review and editing, Methodology, Investigation, Data curation. Hadi Nobari: Software, Investigation, Formal Analysis, Conceptualization. Elena Mainer-Pardos: Review and editing, Validation, Supervision, Investigation, Conceptualization.

The main findings in this study were the improvement observed in CMJR, CMJL, and CMJ in the intervention group that performed the novel neuromuscular training intervention. In contrast, no improvement was found in the 10 m-20 m and 30 m-40 m sprint tests in this cohort of adult female soccer players. In addition, a significant improvement in maximal speed and BLD was observed in the experimental group, while there was no improvement in the control group. The COD tests (180&#176; CODL and 180&#176; CODR) also showed signi...

Women's soccer has grown exponentially in recent years1 and requires technical, tactical, physical, and psychological skills for its development2. Soccer is also characterized by high-intensity intermittent efforts3,4, where players must be able to perform repeated sprints, accelerations and decelerations, changes of direction (COD), jumps, and ball kicking throughout extended matches5,6. 
Performance tests are used in team sports to assess jumping, sprinting, and COD ability in scientific literature7,8. Francini et al. compared field tests and match activities, suggesting that field tests can be used to monitor the effect of training over time9. Likewise, Pardos-Mainer et al. point out in their season-long study that jumps, linear sprint, and COD tests can monitor performance in women's soccer10. The Countermovement Jump (CMJ) is one of the most commonly used tests in soccer teams11 as it is a good predictor of muscle power12. A Premier League player performs approximately 700 turns in a soccer match13, so it is necessary to quantify the athletes' COD ability. The 505 test is a test that is commonly used to measure 180&#176; COD ability in team sports14 because of its demand from the point of view of strength and postural control15. Studies in recent years have incorporated new variables such as bilateral deficit (BLD)16 and change of direction deficit (CODD)17, which are novel variables that provide information about the performance of players.
Kim et al. conducted a study of soccer research trends over the last 30 years, with performance being one of the most frequent searches18. In current soccer, there has been a considerable increase in distance covered at high speed (between 19.8 km/h and 25.1 km/h) and in sprints (over 25.1 km/h)19. Professional female soccer players cover more than 8000 m per match on average20,21, with more than 1000 m at high intensity22. For these reasons, they need to be in great physical condition to cover the demands of a season. Neuromuscular training has been shown in different studies to be beneficial in improving performance in female soccer players23,24, with multicomponent injury prevention programs having the most evidence of reducing injury risk25. Therefore, it is necessary to develop new neuromuscular training programs in women's soccer. This protocol includes specific exercises for lumbopelvic control, anterior and posterior chain strengthening, and COD skills, all of which are progressively adapted and focused on improving the performance of women's football players. This novel approach provides significant value beyond traditional strength and conditioning programs, as it is designed to specifically address the physical demands of modern women's football5. The implementation of neuromuscular training interventions in women's soccer arises from the need to not only enhance the physical performance of players but also reduce the risk of injuries, which is considerably high in this sport25. These techniques are designed to strengthen muscular structures and improve motor control, which is crucial for the demands of the modern game, characterized by quick changes of direction and high-intensity intermittent efforts25. Previous studies have shown that programs incorporating neuromuscular control exercises, posterior chain strengthening, and lumbopelvic control are more effective in improving stability, agility, and jumping ability compared to conventional training intervention7,15,25. In the context of women's soccer, where physical demands are increasing, the adoption of specific techniques such as neuromuscular training is not only innovative but is also supported by evidence suggesting significant improvements in jumping ability, sprint speed, and COD capabilities, all critical components in soccer performance2,5,7.
The aim of this study was to observe the effects of a novel neuromuscular training intervention on physical performance (jump, sprint, and COD) in adult female soccer players. This study hypothesized that the developed neuromuscular training intervention would have a positive and significant effect on the physical performance of adult female soccer players, improving their jumping ability, sprint, and COD ability compared to a control group following a conventional training intervention.

<table><tbody><tr><td>Spanish Food Composition Database</td><td>BEDCA</td><td>https://www.bedca.net/bdpub/index_en.php</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>SPSS software&amp;nbsp;</td><td>IBM SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA</td><td>Version 28.0</td><td></td></tr></tbody></table>

effects of a novel neuromuscular training intervention on jump, sprint, and change of direction in adult female soccer players

Effects of a Novel Neuromuscular Training Intervention on Jump, Sprint, and Change of Direction in Adult Female Soccer Players

Neuromuscular training is a methodology used in sports to improve the physical performance of athletes. Soccer has physical demands of power and speed, so players need to develop sprinting, changing direction, and jumping skills. According to these objectives, a novel neuromuscular training protocol has been developed to improve physical performance in terms of jumping, speed, and direction changes in adult female soccer players. The protocol is based on mobility exercises, stability, anterior and posterior chain strength, lumbopelvic control, and change of direction ability. For this, 34 female soccer players were randomly divided into a control group (CG, n = 17) and an experimental group (EG, n = 17) during 10 weeks of intervention. Hedges&#39;g was used for the effect size. The control group did not show significant improvements in any variable (p &#62; 0.05). The experimental group showed significant time-group improvements with a large effect size on the countermovement jump right (CMJR; p = 0.05, ES = 1.13), countermovement jump (CMJ; p = 0.05, ES = 1.35), and countermovement jump left (CMJL; p = 0.05, ES = 0.83), peak speed (p &#60; 0.05; ES = 0.96) and 180 change of direction (180 COD) in the intergroup analysis (p &#60; 0.05; ES = -1.29 to -1.39). Novel variables such as bilateral deficit and change of direction deficit showed significant improvements in the experimental group (change of direction deficit left (CODDL): p = 0.05, ES = -1.24; change of direction deficit right (CODDR): p = 0.05, ES = -1.15 and bilateral limb deficit (BLD): p= 0.05, ES = -0.49). In conclusion, the novel neuromuscular training intervention, which included weekly progressions and unilateral and bilateral exercises, showed significant improvements in the physical performance of adult female soccer players.

A total of 40 female soccer players from teams in the Spanish 2nd Division were recruited (Table 1). A post hoc power analysis was performed using G*Power software for repeated measures ANOVA with two groups. For this, a mean effect size (f = 0.25), a significance level α of 0.05, and a total sample size of 40 participants (20 per group) were assumed. With these parameters, the analysis indicated a statistical power (1-β err prob) = 0.87. However, due to attendance at the neuromuscular training intervent...

We describe a novel neuromuscular training intervention based on mobility, stability, anterior chain strength, lumbopelvic control, posterior chain strength, and change of direction exercises. After the intervention, adult female soccer players improved their performance in speed variables, changes of direction, and jumping ability.

Neuromuscular training is a methodology used in sports to improve the physical performance of athletes. Soccer has physical demands of power and speed, so ...

effects-novel-neuromuscular-training-intervention-on-jump-sprint

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Learn a neuromuscular training protocol to improve jump, sprint, and change of direction performance in adult female soccer players. This method enhances speed, agility, and strength through progressive exercises.

Effects of a Novel Neuromuscular Training Intervention on Jump, Sprint, and Change of Direction in Adult Female Soccer Players

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