Background: To avoid injuries in basketball players, they are recommended to pay more attention to improve their body balance. Therefore new training methods and equipment need to be devised. This study examined the effects of an 8-week basketball-specific proprioception training program while using a new developed one plane instability balance board during warm-up for improving balance ability in basketball players. Players who obtained basketball-specific balance training were compared to a control group.
Methods: Thirty-one male university basketball players (age: 21.35, SD = 0.605 years; height: 190.97, SD = 1.88; body mass: 86.95, SD = 2.61) participated in this study. Seventeen participants were assigned to the basketball-specific 8-week balance training group (BTG) while 14 participants served as a control group (CG). Both groups were tested with the Y balance test (YBT) and postural stability test (PST) at baseline and 8 weeks later.
Results: The results indicate significant improvements in the overall YBT for both legs in BTG, but not in CG. However, no group differences were found for dynamic balance performance, but static balance (i.e., postural stability) differed between groups after 8 weeks. A statistically significant moderate inverse correlation was computed between the total score of YBT and the total score of the overall stability index (r=-0.404; p= 0.041).
Conclusions: An 8-week basketball-specific proprioception training program with a single-plane instability balance platform improved balance ability (Y balance test and postural stability test) of basketball players.
Keywords: Balance; Y balance test; basketball; exercise; proprioceptive; training.