Effectiveness of 8 weeks Federation of International Football Association 11+ S Program on Upper Limb Strength, Power, Co-ordination and Reaction Time in Amateur Level Badminton Players – A Pilot Study

Introduction: Badminton is an overhead sport which requires concurrent upper limb strength, explosive power, coordination, and fast reflexes. The repetitive nature of overhead activities places high mechanical demand on the shoulder complex, leading to the potential for developing neuromuscular deficits and overuse injuries. The Federation of International Football Association (FIFA 11+) FIFA 11 shoulder (FIFA 11+ S) warm-up and injury prevention program (originally developed for upper extremity injury prevention in soccer players), consisting of strengthening, balance, core stabilization and plyometric exercises, has not been studied in amateur badminton players. Materials and Methods: A pilot study was conducted on amateur badminton players of 18-30 years who met the inclusion criteria, and baseline measures were taken. Handheld dynamometer was used to measure the strength of shoulder internal and external rotators. Upper limb explosive power was assessed by the Seated Medicine Ball Throw Test (2 kg). Coordination and reaction time of the upper limbs were examined using the Alternate Hand Wall Toss Test and Ruler Drop Test, respectively. Participants completed the FIFA 11+ S training protocol for eight weeks, and post-intervention scores were statistically analysed using paired t-test. Results: Shoulder internal and external rotators strength on the dominant and non-dominant side considerably increased following the 8-week rotator cuff-specific resistance training (P < 0.05). Explosive power, coordination, and reaction time of the upper limb also considerably improved following training (P < 0.05). All outcome measures improved, showing an improvement in the neuromuscular control and functional performance of the upper limb. Conclusion: An 8-week FIFA 11+ Shoulder program effectively improves upper limb strength, power, coordination and reaction time in amateur college-level badminton players. These findings indicate that the FIFA 11+ Shoulder program is statistically and clinically effective in improving the performance of Amateur college level badminton players.