The Effect of Balance and Sand Training on Postural Control in Elite Beach Volleyball Players

Sergio Sebastia-Amat, Luca Paolo Ardigò, Jose Manuel Jimenez-Olmedo, Basilio Pueo and Alfonso Penichet-Tomas
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Sergio Sebastia-Amat: Physical Education and Sport Sciences, Faculty of Education, University of Alicante, 03690 Alicante, Spain
Luca Paolo Ardigò: Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, School of Exercise and Sport Science, University of Verona, 37131 Verona, Italy
Jose Manuel Jimenez-Olmedo: Physical Education and Sport Sciences, Faculty of Education, University of Alicante, 03690 Alicante, Spain
Basilio Pueo: Physical Education and Sport Sciences, Faculty of Education, University of Alicante, 03690 Alicante, Spain
Alfonso Penichet-Tomas: Physical Education and Sport Sciences, Faculty of Education, University of Alicante, 03690 Alicante, Spain

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 23, 1-11

Abstract: The aim of this work was to evaluate the effectiveness of a 12-week-long balance training program on the postural control of elite male beach volleyball players and the effect on balance when swapping to specific sports training in the sand in the following 12 weeks. Six elite players were tested before and after the balance training program and also 12 weeks after the balance training had finished. To this aim, a pressure platform was used to collect the following center of pressure parameters: path length, speed, mean position, and root-mean-square amplitude in the medial-lateral and anteroposterior planes. Romberg quotients for the center of pressure parameters were also calculated. The results of the present study showed better static postural control after specific balance training: smaller path length and speed under open eyes condition in dominant ( p = 0.015; p = 0.009, respectively) and non-dominant monopedal stances ( p = 0.005; p = 0.004, respectively). Contrastingly, 12 weeks after the balance training program, the path length and speed values under open eyes condition in bipedal stance increased significantly ( p = 0.045; p = 0.004, respectively) for sand training. According to our results, balance training is effective to achieve positive balance test scores. It is speculated, and yet to be proven, that sand training could be effective to improve dynamic and open eyes postural control during beach volleyball practice. In beach volleyball players, a balance training program is effective to develop static balance but the effect of ecological sand training on dynamic performance deserves specific investigation.

Keywords: athletes; posturography; core; stability; proprioception (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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