Effects of the 11+ and Harmoknee warm-up programs on physical performance measures in professional soccer players

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of the 11+ and harmoknee warm-up programs on performance measures in professional soccer players. thirty-six male professional soccer players (age: 18.9 ± 1.4 years) were divided into 3 groups,the 11+,harmoknee and control group (n = 12 per group). the experimental groups performed the programs 3 times per week for 2 months (24 sessions),whereas the control group only performed their regular soccer training. the performance tests carried out were: 10m speed tests with and without a ball,20m single sprint,vertical jump,wall-volley and illinois agility tests. the 11+ group demonstrated significant increases from pre-to-post time points in the vertical jump (3.7%),wall-volley (5.4%) and illinois agility tests (1.7%),while the harmoknee group showed a significant increase in wall-volley test,with a 5.2% increase. the repeated measures analysis revealed differences between the groups (large effect size) in the 11+ and harmoknee groups,compared to the control group,in 10m speed tests with and without a ball,20m single sprint and illinois agility tests (p < 0.05). thus 8-weeks performing the 11+ warm-up program can enhance jump height,agility and soccer skill while the harmoknee program generally only improves soccer skill in young professional male soccer players. © journal of sports science and medicine (2013).