Dose Response of Plyometric Training on Agility in Cricket Players
Condition: Athletic Injuries
MeSH terms: Athletic Injuries
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The objective of the study was to determine the effects of plyometric training on agility in
      national cricket players. The study design was Randomized Controlled Trial. 40 cricket
      players were included in the study through open epi tool out of which n=20 players were in
      experimental group and n=20 players were in control group. Assessments were taken as baseline
      on first week, on third week and on sixth week by performing few exercises such as Illinois
      Agility Run test, T test and Vertical jump test.
    

Detailed description: 
      Cricket is considered as one of the world's major team sports in terms of regular
      international games. It is similar to the game of baseball generally played outdoors on
      natural grass fields. As cricket is a bat and ball sport. Bowling action is explosive in
      nature; whereby a large amount of force must be generated over a very short period of time.
      They discussed that fast bowlers have consistently been identified as the category of cricket
      players at the greatest risk of injury. Bowling action is a highly skilled activity, which is
      acquired over years of fine tuning. Equally from a neuromuscular perspective, the bowling
      action is a complex activity and optimal performance is a result of highly tuned
      inter-muscular and intra-muscular coordination, which is governed by the central nervous
      system. It has been shown that recently modern training techniques and in particularly
      strength training, has been perceived to be a major contributing factor to the recent
      injuries sustained at a national level.

      In many sports straight sprinting speed and agility are considered important qualities.
      Straight line sprinting is a relatively closed skill involving predictable and planned
      movements and is used in sports such as track and field and gymnastics. It is difficult to
      define agility, as it is the ability to change direction and start and stop quickly. In a
      sporting situation, changes of direction may be initiated to either pursue or evade an
      opponent or react to a moving ball. Therefore, it has been recognized that a component of
      agility performance is the response to a stimulus. Further Chelladurai and Yuhasz
      demonstrated that a change of direction task with a simple stimulus shared only 31% common
      variance with a more complex task in which the timing and location of the stimulus were not
      known. It has been shown that up-and-back sprint time of 2.4-m increased as a light stimulus
      became less predictable in terms of timing and location, presumably because of increased
      information processing.This suggests that having to react to a stimulus such as an opponent's
      movement on the field may significantly influence the nature of the change-of-direction
      movement task.

      Several studies have reported correlations between straight sprint tests and various agility
      tests. When a correlation coefficient (r) is less than 0.71, the shared or common variance
      between the 2 variables is less than 50%, indicating that they are specific or somewhat
      independent in nature. Hortobagyi et al. used this statistical approach to demonstrate that
      various modes of strength testing indicated more generality (r ˃ 0.71) of strength than
      specificity (r ˂ 0.71). Common variances of 11% and 22% have been reported, respectively, for
      straight sprints and a soccer agility test and the Illinois agility test. Further, these
      investigators conducted a factor analysis on several fitness test results and found the speed
      and agility tests to be represented by different factors. This meant that speed and agility
      had little in common statistically, leading the authors to conclude that they were relatively
      independent qualities.

      In 1969, a study was conducted that compared the effects of speed and agility training on
      various fitness parameters. The study reported that agility training was superior to speed
      training for performance in the Illinois agility run and a ''zig-zag run'' but the speed
      training was not significantly better for improving 50-yd sprint time. Unfortunately, the
      authors failed to describe the training that was implemented, making it difficult to evaluate
      the effects. Since the potential specificity of speed and agility training has not yet been
      clearly established, the purpose of the present study was to determine if straight sprint
      training transferred to change-of-direction tests of varying complexities. Another objective
      was to determine if agility training could enhance straight sprinting speed. Plyometric
      consists of a rapid stretching of a muscle (eccentric action) immediately followed by a
      concentric or shortening action of the same muscle and connective tissue. Plyometric drills
      usually involve stopping, starting, and changing directions in an explosive manner. These
      movements are components that can assist in developing agility. Plyometric exercises include
      jumps, hops, skips, bounds and throws. Plyometric training is an intense form of exercise
      that helps athletes improves the power of their movements. Plyometric training is used to
      improve maximum strength and speed of movement which result in an increase of explosive
      power.

      Agility is the ability to change direction or body position rapidly and proceed with another
      movement. Agility is the physical ability that enables a person rapidly to change body
      position and direction in a precise manner. Agility is generally defined as the ability to
      change direction quickly and effectively while moving as possible at full speed.
    

Intervention name(s): Agility training; Conventional
Intervention type(s): Other; Other
Intervention description(s): In experimental group, 30 meter sprint test will be used as intervention with complexity in different stages. Test 1 was a straight sprint and tests 2-7 involved multiple changes of direction. Tests 2-7 were designed to involve progressively greater change-of-direction complexity by increasing either the angle of directional change and/or the number of changes of direction. In experimental group, 6 weeks of intervention will be done on alternate days and assessment will be done on 1st, 3rd & 6th week.; In group B, Conventional intervention was given to the players under the supervision of Physical Therapist that includes warm-up, strength training, agility training and cool down. In control group, 6 weeks of intervention will be done on alternate days and assessment will be done on 1st, 3rd & 6th week
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single (Outcomes Assessor)
Primary purpose: Supportive Care
Keywords: Agility; Dose Responce; Plyometric training