the effect of four types of training: plyometric, balance, pnf and combination training on physical performance and ankle injury prevention in basketball players: a clinical trial

Basketball accounts for approximately up to 92% of injuries, most of which are reported in the lower limbs, especially in the ankle. the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of plyometric, balance, pnf and combination exercises on physical performance and prevention of ankle injuries in young basketball players. in this clinical trial with pre-test and post-test of 75 young basketball players aged 16 to 18 assigned to 5 groups of 15 individuals (aged 17.26±0.24 years; height 182.38±11.7 cm; body mass 80.82±3.04 kg; bmi 24.38±1.36 kg.m2), training groups consisted of plyometrics, balance, pnf and combination (plyometric and balance and pnf), and a group playing basketball without redundant training was considered as control. the physical performance of athletes was checked by measuring strength, endurance, explosive power and range of motion respectively using dynamometer, inclination board, sargent jump board and electro goniometer before and after the training period, and the number of injuries to the ankle was measured by using a questionnaire with reasonable validity during training and until six months after the training period. the results showed the increase in dorsiflexion strength in plyometric and combination groups, but the increase in plantar flexion strength occurred only in the combination group, the improvement of ankle endurance was observed in the plyometric and combination groups, the improvement of the range of motion in the combination and pnf groups, and the explosive power increased in pnf and combination groups. regarding injury prevention: combination, balance, plyometric, pnf and control groups attained the first to fifth ranks, respectively. one of the important causes of ankle injury among basketball players is insufficient function of ankle muscles. based on the results, the combination exercises group showed a greater impact on the physical performance and injury prevention of young basketball players than other exercises and therefore can be recommended as a complementary exercise to the main exercises to be included in the athletes' main training program.