Research Paper: Does SportsMetrics Soccer Training Improve LESS and Dynamic Balance in Soccer Players? A randomized controlled trial.

Purpose: Compared with other sports, soccer is an activity with a relatively high incidence of injury. To decrease the number of injuries, prevent early retirement, and provide a healthy and safe environment for players, preventive programs are highly recommended. This study aimed to investigate the effect of Sportsmetrics Soccer Training (SMST) on Landing Error Scoring Systems (LESS) and dynamic balance in soccer players. Methods: This study was a randomized controlled trial with pretest-posttest design and training (TG) and control (CG) groups. The statistical population comprised young soccer players over 18 years old recruited from Zulfaqarnasab Soccer Academy in Sanandaj City, Iran. The study participants were 29 soccer players with three years of experience in soccer clubs. The subjects were randomly assigned into TG (n=14, mean±SD age=18.40±0.5 years, mean±SD height=180.40±6.86 cm, mean±SD weight=70.47±9.62 kg) and CG (n=15, mean±SD age=18.64±0.08 years, mean±SD height=179.57±6.72 cm, mean±SD weight=64.64±6.61 kg). The TG group performed SMST three times a week for six weeks (each session lasted 35 to 45 minutes). The CG did not receive any intervention. The LESS (intraclass correlation [ICC]=0.82- 0.99) and the Y-balance (ICC=0.91-0.99) were used for assessing landing errors and dynamic balance. The obtained data were analyzed using the Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) (P≤0.05) in SPSS (version 24). Results: The TG showed a significant improvement in scores of LESS (F=48.23, P=0.0001), anterior reach (F=18.26, P=0.0001), posteromedial reach (F=21.15, P=0.0001), and posterolateral reach (F=17.94, P=0.0001) in posttest compared to their baseline results. Conclusion: The present study results showed that SMST could improve LESS score and Y-balance, so we recommend that soccer coaches use SMST to prevent injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]