SECTION III - SPORTS AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY / RESEARCH PAPER
A Six-Week Dynamic Stretching Warm-Up Protocol Enhances Dynamic Balance but Not Sprint and Agility Performance
in Adolescent Male Volleyball Players
1
Research Unit “Sport Sciences, Health and Movement”, High Institute of Sports and Physical Education of Kef, University of Jendouba, Kef, Tunisia.
2
Qatar Police Academy, Police College, Training Department, Doha, Qatar.
3
Tunisian Research Laboratory "Sport Performance Optimisation" National Center of Medicine and Science in Sports, Tunis, Tunisia.
4
Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
5
Research Laboratory (LR23JS01) "Sport Performance, Health and Society", Higher Institute of Sport and Physical Education of Ksar Saîd, University of Manouba, Tunis, Tunisia.
6
Research Unit Physical Activity, Sport, and Health, National Observatory of Sport, Tunis, Tunisia.
7
Postgraduate School of Public Health, Department of Health Sciences (DISSAL), University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy.
8
Department of Human and Social Sciences, High Institute of Sport and Physical Education of Kef, University of Jendouba, Kef, Tunisia.
9
High Institute of Sport and Physical Education, Ksar-Said, Manouba University, Tunis, Tunisia.
10
Sports Performance Research Institute New Zealand, AUT University, Auckland, New Zealand.
Submission date: 2025-04-15
Final revision date: 2025-05-25
Acceptance date: 2026-04-20
Online publication date: 2026-09-04
Corresponding author
Safaa Mostafa Elkholi
Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, P.O. Box 84428, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia., Riyadah, Saudi Arabia
Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, P.O. Box 84428, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia., Riyadah, Saudi Arabia
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
This study aimed to investigate the long-term effects of a six-week dynamic stretching warm-up protocol on sprint performance, agility, and dynamic balance in adolescent volleyball athletes. Thirty male volleyball players, aged 16 to 17 years, were randomly assigned to an experimental group (n = 14) performing dynamic stretching or a control group (n = 16) undertaking a conventional warm-up without stretching. The intervention lasted 6 weeks and comprised 5 sessions each week. Evaluations performed prior to and after the intervention included a 5-m-sprint test, a modified T-test for agility, and a Y-Balance-test for dynamic balance. The results indicated a significant interaction between time and the group (p < 0.01, ηp2: 0.32–0.47 [large]) only in the Y-balance test in the anterior and posterolateral directions. The experimental group demonstrated a significant improvement in dynamic balance compared to the control group in both the anterior (p = 0.018, d = 1.15 [large]) and posterolateral (p = 0.001, d = 1.72 [large]) directions of the Y-balance test. No significant improvements in agility performance were seen (p = 0.469, ηp2 = 0.03 [small]). Sprint performance declined in both groups, demonstrating a significant main effect of time (p < 0.001, ηp2 = 0.59 [large]), whereas no significant group effect was seen (p = 0.086, ηp2 = 0.16 [large]). Therefore, a six-week dynamic stretching warm-up exercise program enhanced teenage male volleyball players' dynamic balance significantly, particularly in the front and posterolateral directions. The training intervention decreased short-distance (5 m) sprint performance and did not improve agility. Although dynamic stretching can improve some aspects of neuromuscular control, the findings suggest that it should be paired with sport-specific training to optimize overall volleyball performance and injury prevention techniques.
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