American Football Players, Neuroathletic Training, Reactive Training
Conditions
Brief summary
This study aims to compare the effects of neuroathletic training, reactive training, and routine team training in American football players. American football requires not only strength, speed, agility, and balance, but also rapid reaction, decision-making, and appropriate motor responses. Therefore, training approaches targeting the nervous system and reaction skills may contribute to both performance enhancement and injury risk reduction. Active American football players aged 18-30 are randomly assigned to neuroathletic training, reactive training, or control groups. The intervention groups participate in additional exercise sessions twice a week for four weeks, while the control group continues routine team training only. Assessments are performed before and after the intervention period. Outcome measures include Y Balance Test, Functional Movement Screen, Reactive Balance Test, core endurance test, and sit-and-reach test. These assessments are used to examine reaction performance, dynamic balance, postural control, movement quality, core endurance, and flexibility. The findings are expected to help identify the most effective training approach for improving performance and reducing injury risk in American football players.
Interventions
A structured exercise program designed to improve the integration of visual, vestibular, and proprioceptive inputs in order to enhance motor control, balance, reaction ability, coordination, and physical performance. Participants in this group receive neuroathletic exercises in addition to routine team training, twice weekly for 4 weeks, with each session lasting 10-15 minutes.
OTHERReactive Training
Participants receive a reactive training program in addition to routine team training. The program includes exercises performed with a light-based system and is designed to improve reaction speed, visual-motor response, dynamic balance, coordination, and decision-making ability. Training is performed twice weekly for 4 weeks, with sessions lasting 10-15 minutes.
Sponsors
Ebru Tekin
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)
Masking description
Outcome assessment and statistical analysis were performed by individuals blinded to group allocation.
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
MALE
Age
18 Years to 30 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
Aged 18-30 years Holding an active American football license during the study season Competing at the university, semi-professional, or professional level Regular participation in team training (6-10 hours per week) At least one year of continuous competitive American football experience Having a structured training background in American football Free from color blindness Free from attention-related disorders Free from any health condition that could affect neuromuscular, reactive, or sport-specific performance
Exclusion criteria
Injury within the previous 3 months resulting in absence from training or competition for more than 2 weeks Upper or lower extremity surgery within the previous 6 months History of neurological, vestibular, or cardiovascular disorders that could interfere with neuroathletic training or performance assessments COVID-19 infection within the previous 6 months
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Functional Movement Screen | At baseline and immediately after the 4-week intervention | The Functional Movement Screen (FMS) consists of seven movement tasks designed to assess the balance between mobility and stability: deep squat, hurdle step, inline lunge, shoulder mobility, active straight leg raise, trunk rotary stability, and trunk stability push-up. The test was administered using a standard test kit, and each movement was scored on a scale from 0 to 3 according to the standard scoring system. In the presence of pain, the relevant movement was recorded as 0 points (Altundağ et al., 2021). |
| Y Balance Test | At baseline and immediately after the 4-week intervention | Dynamic balance and postural control were assessed using the Y Balance Test. Participants stood on the fixed platform with their non-dominant lower extremity while reaching in the anterior, posteromedial, and posterolateral directions with the contralateral lower extremity. Three trials were performed in each direction, and reach distances were normalized to lower extremity length to calculate the composite score. Lower extremity length was measured as the distance between the anterior superior iliac spine and the medial malleolus (Unver et al., 2020). |
| Reactive Balance Test | At baseline and immediately after the 4-week intervention | The Reactive Balance Test was used to assess reactive postural control and visuomotor response performance associated with injury risk. This test consisted of the integration of the Y Balance Test setup with an LED-based light system (ReactionX) controlled via a smartphone application. The LED lights were positioned at 80% of the participants' maximum reach distance in each direction during the Y Balance Test. Participants were instructed to maintain balance in the standard starting position and deactivate the randomly illuminated LED lights as quickly as possible. A total of 45 visual stimuli were presented at varying intervals ranging from 0.5 to 2.5 seconds to minimize anticipatory effects. Test outcomes were recorded as visuomotor reaction time (ms) and accuracy (%). The test was performed twice; the first trial was considered a familiarization trial, and the results of the second trial were used for analysis (Tekin et al., 2025). |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Core Endurance Test | At baseline and immediately after the 4-week intervention | Core endurance was assessed using the prone plank test. Participants were instructed to lift their body off the mat in a prone position so that only their elbows and toes remained in contact with the surface. The test was terminated if they were unable to correct a disruption in posture within more than three seconds. The test was performed three times, and the mean duration was used for analysis (Unver et al., 2020). |
| Sit-and-Reach Test | At baseline and immediately after the 4-week intervention | Flexibility was assessed using the sit-and-reach test. Participants were asked to remove their shoes, sit with their feet placed against the testing box, and reach forward as far as possible without bending their knees. The test was performed twice, and the highest value was recorded in centimeters (Mayorga-Vega et al., 2014). |
Countries
Turkey (Türkiye)
Outcome results
None listed