## 4 Discussion
[5] and [PERSON] and [PERSON] [21] also documented significant improvements in agility-related tasks after similar training interventions. The agility improvements seen in this study can be explained by the program's focus on dynamic movements, proprioceptive training, and change-of-direction drills. Neuromuscular control and coordination are crucial for agility, as they enable athletes to execute quick directional shifts while maintaining stability and control over their movements [21]. The FIFA 11+ program includes exercises that challenge postural control and reaction time, which likely contributed to the reduction in agility test times. Additionally, enhanced muscle activation and motor unit recruitment, as highlighted by [PERSON] et al. [3], may have improved the players' ability to generate force efficiently during rapid movements. Postural balance is a critical component of athletic performance, particularly in sports like handball, where maintaining stability during dynamic movements is essential. The results of this study indicate that the FIFA 11+ program significantly improved postural balance, as evidenced by the increased YBT scores in multiple directions. These findings align with prior research, which has demonstrated the positive effects of proprioceptive and stability training on balance performance [8; 22]. The FIFA 11+ program incorporates exercises that challenge balance and proprioception, such as single-leg stance drills, dynamic stability exercises, and core activation movements. These training components likely contributed to the observed improvements in balance performance. Similar findings were reported by [PERSON] et al. [23] and [PERSON] and [PERSON] [24], who found that balance training interventions significantly enhanced proprioceptive control and postural stability. The improvements in different directions of the YBT suggest that the program effectively strengthens stabilizing muscles and improves neuromuscular control, both of which are essential for reducing the risk of injuries and enhancing overall performance [6]. Moreover, balance improvements are particularly important in handball, as players frequently engage in complex, high-intensity movements that require stability, such as jumping, landing, and changing direction [25; 26]. Enhanced postural control may contribute to better injury resilience, as unstable movements are often linked to an increased risk of lower limb injuries [8]. Therefore, integrating structured balance training within warm-up routines, as seen in the FIFA 11+ program, represents a practical strategy for improving both performance and injury prevention. Nevertheless, a methodological limitation of this study lies in the use of cluster-level allocation: since participants were assigned to groups based on team membership via coin flip, this constitutes a form of cluster randomization. While practical for real-world team settings, this approach may limit the independence of observations between groups and should be considered when interpreting the results. Additionally, the absence of long-term follow-up data limits our understanding of whether the observed improvements in performance would persist over time. The study also did not include injury surveillance, which prevents us from drawing direct conclusions about the FIFA 11+ program's effectiveness in injury prevention within this specific population. Although the program was originally developed with injury reduction in mind, our study focused solely on performance-related outcomes. Another consideration is the relatively small sample size (\(n=24\)), which may limit the generalizability of the findings. While statistically significant differences were observed, larger sample sizes would increase the power of the analysis and allow for subgroup comparisons. Finally, it is worth noting that the intervention group may have experienced a motivational bias due to the increased attention and novelty associated with the FIFA 11+program.