Evaluating the effects of elastic bands resistance training on performance parameters in female football players: A pilot study

Introduction Elastic band resistance training has been already used in the performance optimization settings of various sports. Despite that, there is a lack of evidence about the effects that this type of training can have on female football players´ physical performance. Thus, this pilot study investigated the impact of a 6-week elastic band training program on several physical performance components in adult female football players. Material and methods: Six trained/developmental and highly trained/national players (age=22.5±1.6 years) from three competitive divisions participated. Pre- and post- intervention tests measured knee extension and flexion isometric strength, vertical jump height and change of direction sprint. The program consisted of twice-weekly sessions, incorporated into their in-season regimen, with three circuit-style exercises per session. Results: Bayesian paired sample student t-test indicated extreme evidence for an improvement in knee extension strength of the non-dominant leg (BF-0=101.16) and strong evidence for an improvement in change of direction sprint (BF+0=13.96). Contrarily, no strong evidence was found for knee extension strength of the dominant leg (BF-0=0.78), knee flexion strength of the dominant (BF-0=0.31) and non-dominant leg (BF-0=0.30) and vertical jump height (BF-0=0.35). Conclusion: Elastic band resistance training seems to improve knee extension strength of the non-dominant leg and change of direction sprint in female football players. However, no conclusive results could be provided for the rest of the evaluated parameters, possibly relating to lack of data. Future research should focus on implementing the same protocol with a large sample, to achieve more robust results.