Clinical trial NCT07005739: Turkish Folk Dance Exercises in Core Stabilization, Balance, and Agility Training for U14 Football Players
Official title: Effectiveness of Turkish Folk Dance Exercises on Core Stabilization, Balance, and Agility in U14 Football Players
Study type: OBSERVATIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Conditions: Physical Performance Enhancement
Motor Skills Development
Agility, Balance, and Core Stabilization in Youth Athletes
Keywords: Folk dances,
Kinesthetic sense
Core region stability
Youth football
Balance
Turkish folk dance
Agility
core stability
flexibility
proprioception
exercise intervention
sports performance
U14 athletes
Lead sponsor: Marmara University
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2025-06-05
Enrollment: 30
Sex: MALE
Minimum age (years): 12
Maximum age (years): 14
Standard ages: CHILD
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Observational model: COHORT
Time perspective: PROSPECTIVE
Sampling method: NON_PROBABILITY_SAMPLE
Study population: Male U14 football players actively competing in the Istanbul youth football league. Participants were healthy, regularly training, and had no existing injuries or chronic health conditions affecting physical performance.

Brief summary: This study aims to examine the effects of integrating Turkish folk dance exercises into the training routines of U14 football players on their kinesthetic sense, balance, agility, core stabilization, and flexibility. The study includes 15 young male football players actively participating in league matches in Istanbul, randomly assigned to either control or intervention groups. The intervention group participates in an additional Turkish folk dance training program for eight weeks alongside their regular football practice, while the control group continues with regular training only. Both groups undergo assessments on agility, flexibility, core stabilization, balance, and kinesthetic sense using standardized field tests. The study seeks to explore whether Turkish folk dance training can provide added value to conventional youth football training programs.

Detailed description: This randomized controlled study investigates the potential impact of Turkish folk dance-based exercises on core region stabilization, balance, and agility among U14 male football players in Istanbul. Fifteen participants are divided into control and experimental groups. The experimental group participates in an eight-week Turkish folk dance exercise program in addition to their regular football training. Pre- and post-intervention assessments include the Illinois Agility Test, Y-Balance Test, joint position sense measurements, flexibility assessments, and the Core Stabilization Test (CST). Statistical analysis methods planned for evaluating the outcomes include normality analysis, independent samples t-tests for group comparisons, and paired samples t-tests for within-group differences, with a significance level set at p\<0.05. The study aims to assess whether incorporating Turkish folk dance movements into youth football training programs may contribute to improvements in motor skills relevant to athletic performance and injury prevention.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Male football players actively participating in the U14 league in Istanbul.
* Age between 12 and 14 years.
* Actively training and participating in official football matches.
* Voluntary participation with parental/guardian consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Presence of musculoskeletal, neurological, or chronic health conditions that would prevent participation.
* History of injury or surgery affecting balance or mobility within the last 6 -months.
* Participation in other structured exercise or dance programs outside of football training.
* Non-compliance with the training or assessment schedule.

Primary outcomes:
measure: Agility Performance
timeFrame: Baseline and post-intervention (8 weeks)
measure: Balance Performance
timeFrame: Baseline and post-intervention (8 weeks)
measure: Core Stabilization
timeFrame: Baseline and post-intervention (8 weeks)
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Flexibility
timeFrame: Baseline and post-intervention (8 weeks)
measure: Kinesthetic Sense / Joint Position Sense
timeFrame: Baseline and post-intervention (8 weeks)
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Istanbul
country: Turkey
facility: Başakşehir Spor Kulübü
state: Başakşehir
city: Istanbul
country: Turkey
facility: Yakuplu Spor Kulübü
state: Beylikdüzü
Study officials:
affiliation: Marmara University, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Istanbul, Turkey
name: Tuba KIZILET TOPATEŞ, Prof.
role: STUDY_DIRECTOR
affiliation: Marmara University, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Istanbul, Turkey
name: Ceren AĞAOĞLU TOPÇU, Dr.
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: