Effects of Cool-Down Exercise and Cold-Water Immersion Therapy on Basic Fitness and Sport-Specific Skills among Korean College Soccer Players

Background: we aimed to examine the effects of cool-down exercise and cold-water immersion therapy on agility, speed, power, balance, and sport-specific skill performance in college soccer players, and to provide baseline data for the development of effective recovery programs. methods: in august 2020, 21 male college soccer players in seoul, korea, were randomly divided into the following groups: control group (cg, n=7), cool-down exercise group (cdg, n=7), and cool-down exercise plus cold-water immersion group (cdcwg, n=7). agility, speed, power, balance, and sport-specific skill performance were assessed before and after the intervention. results: no significant differences in southeast missouri (semo) agility test, 20-m sprint test, vertical jump test, or y-balance test (right) were observed among the groups; however, there was a significant effect of time (p<0.05) and a significant time × group interaction (p<0.05). significant effects of time (p<0.001), group (p=0.043), and a time × group interaction (p=0.009) were observed in the y-balance test (left). there were no between-group differences in the 22-m dribble test, shooting test (left), or shooting test (right); however, there were significant effects of time (p<0.05) and significant time × group interactions (p<0.05). no significant effects of group or time × group interactions were observed for the kicking test (left or right); however, there were significant effects of time (p<0.001). conclusion: addition of cold-water immersion therapy to a recovery program including cool-down exercise can promote recovery of basic and sport-specific abilities among college soccer players.