The effect of a sand surface on physical performance responses of junior male handball players to plyometric training

Mehrez Hammami; Nicola Luigi Bragazzi; Souhail Hermassi; Nawel Gaamouri; Ridha Aouadi; Roy J Shephard; Mohamed Souhaiel Chelly

doi:10.1186/s13102-020-00176-x

The effect of a sand surface on physical performance responses of junior male handball players to plyometric training

BMC Sports Sci Med Rehabil. 2020 Apr 25:12:26. doi: 10.1186/s13102-020-00176-x. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Mehrez Hammami^#^{1

2}, Nicola Luigi Bragazzi^#^{3

4}, Souhail Hermassi⁵, Nawel Gaamouri^{1

2}, Ridha Aouadi^{1

2}, Roy J Shephard⁶, Mohamed Souhaiel Chelly^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Research Unit (UR17JS01) « Sport Performance, Health & Society», Higher Institute of Sport and Physical Education of Ksar Saîd, University of "La Manouba", Tunis, Tunisia.
² Higher Institute of Sport and Physical Education of Ksar Said, University of "La Manouba", Tunis, Tunisia.
³ 3Laboratory for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (LIAM), Department of Mathematics and Statistics, York University, Toronto, ON Canada.
⁴ 4Postgraduate School of Public Health, Department of Health Sciences (DISSAL), University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy.
⁵ 5Sport Science Program, College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar.
⁶ 6Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON Canada.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Background: The effects of 7 weeks plyometric training on a stable surface and on sand were compared in junior male handball players.

Methods: A team of experienced players was divided randomly between three groups, undertaking a standard in-season regimen (C, n = 10), or supplementing this regimen by plyometric training on sand (PS, n = 11) or a stable surface (P, n = 10) for 7 weeks. Assessments included 20 m sprint times, change of direction tests (Modified change-of-direction T-test and Modified Illinois test), a repeated sprint T-test, jumping ability (squat, countermovement and five jump tests), and static and dynamic balance.

Results: After the intervention, PS showed significant increases of sprint speed relative to P and C. Change of direction scores were also improved for PS relative to P and C. Both PS and P increased vertical jump performance (squat jump, p = 0.005; ES = 0.170; counter-movement jump p < 0.001; ES = 0.247). Repeated sprint T-test scores improved in PS and P relative to C, with best times of PS > P (p < 0.05). Both plyometric groups improved their dynamic balance (p < 0.05), with three parameters of PS and only one of P being significantly greater than C. Static balance was also enhanced in both experimental groups (PS > P).

Conclusions: We conclude that for reasons that remain to be clarified, several performance measures in adolescent male handball players were increased more by 7 weeks of PS than by P.

Keywords: Agility; Dynamic balance; Sand; Sprint performance; Stretch shortening cycle.