The Effect of Selected Core Stability and Hopping Exercise on Trunk Endurance and Balance of Female Kabaddi Athletes

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a selected course of the core stabilization of body and hopping exercises on trunk strength and balance of female Kabaddi athletes. Methods: The subjects of this study consisted of 24 female Kabaddi players, who were randomly selected and intentionally assigned to two groups; experimental group (12 persons; Mean±SD age: 16.83±1.26 years, height: 1.61±0.04 m, weight: 56.50±3.06 kg, BMI: 21.84±1.73 kg/m2, and exercise history: 05.08±1.08 years) and control group (12 persons; Mean±SD age: 16.42±0.99 years, height: 1.60±0.05 m, weight: 59.08±8.68 kg, BMI: 23.03±1.71 kg/m2, and exercise history: 5.25±1.60 years). The experimental group performed a 6-week training program, 3 sessions per week, each session consisting of 40 minutes of core stabilization exercises and hopping. A questionnaire was used to collect demographic information and exercise history, and the Y-balance test and stork stand balance test were used to measure static and dynamic equilibrium, respectively. In addition, the strength of the core part was evaluated by trunk 60° flexion, Biering-Sorensen, forearm plank, and side plank (right and left) tests. The Shapiro-Wilk test was used to check the normality of the data. In the case of normal data, the paired t-test was used to evaluate the differences in mean values. Results: The results of this study showed a significant difference between the mean posttest scores of trunk strength and static and dynamic balance in both experimental and control groups (P<0.001) so that the subjects in the experimental group performed better in these tests. All statistical tests were performed at a significance level of 95% (P<0.05). Conclusion: The results of the present study show that combined balancing exercises for the core part of the body and hopping can improve the balance and endurance of the Kabaddi athletes and, thus, may prevent potential injuries.