Investigation into the Effects of Eight Weeks of Step Aerobic Dance Practice on Static Balance, Flexibility and Selected Basketball Skills in Young Basketball Players

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of eight weeks of step aerobic exercises on static balance, flexibility and selected basketball skills in young basketball players. A total of 20 basketball players (average age 16.1±0.7 years and average sporting age 4.1±0.7 years) voluntarily joined the study. Participants were randomly divided into two groups (experiment n:10 and control n:10). All participants attended basketball training 3 days per week but the experiment group also had step aerobic dance practice 2 days per week. Before and after the study static balance, flexibility and selected basketball techniques were evaluated. SPSS statistical program used for analysis. Repeated measures Anova was used to compare the pre-test and post-test measurements of the groups. The differences between pre-test and post-test measurements in the two groups were examined with the independent t-test. P< 0.05 is considered statistically significant in the interpretation of our results. After eight weeks of training, both two groups’ static balance and flexibility performances were significantly changed. But only the experiment group had significant improvement in the basketball skill test. The experiment group was also statistically changed in terms of all parameters compared to the control group. According to the results of this study it is possible to say that to improve basketball skills by improving balance and flexibility performance, eight weeks of step aerobic exercise is a useful training model for young basketball players.