New warm-up program outperforms FIFA's standard in protecting female soccer players
A new training protocol called Football+ reduced knee injury risk factors more effectively than the widely-used FIFA 11+ program among amateur female players. The finding could reshape injury prevention strategies across women's sports, with implications for team performance, medical costs, and player retention in competitive leagues.
Originaltitel: Alterations in knee biomechanics and motor performance following 3 months training with the Football+ and 11+warm-up programs among amateur female players. A three-armed cluster allocated, non-randomized intervention study
**Football+ överträffar etablerad skademinskning i damfotboll** Två träningsprotokoll minskade högriskrörelser i knäet bland amatörkvinliga fotbollsspelare, men Football+ visade större effekter än det redan väletablerade FIFA 11+-programmet. I studien från TU Dortmund och Linköpings universitet tränade tre tyska amatörlags (57 spelare totalt) två gånger vecka under tre månader. Football+ gav större förbättringar i knäbiomekanikal risk — mätt via 3D-rörelseanalys under hopplanding och skärande rörelser — jämfört med 11+ (p=0,005–0,047). Football+ producerade också ökad sprinthastighet, sväng och dribblingsfart, medan 11+ endast påverkade skademinskning. En kritisk svaghet: prestandavinster försvann under tio veckors träningspaus, vilket signalerar att löpande intervention är nödvändig. För regionklinik och MedTech-aktörer är fyndet relevant för preventionsprogramval — Football+ kan utgöra ett tidseffektivt dubbelsyfte-uppvärmning, men kräver konsekvent genomförande för bibehållen effekt.
<p>Objective: This cluster alocated comparative study (DRKS00036644) primarily evaluated the effects of the Football+ and the established FIFA 11+ (the 11+) on knee biomechanical risk factors. A secondary outcome included performance measures and their retention following a 10-week no-intervention period. Methods: Three German amateur women's teams (24.3 + 5.3 years, 1.73 + 0.07 m, 64.3 + 8.0 kg) completed the introductory sessions and were team allocated into the Football+ (n = 22), 11+ (n = 19), or control (n = 16) groups. Baseline assessment included a standardized 3D motion analysis of knee biomechanics during single-leg landing and cutting maneuvers and a performance test battery (sprinting, counter movement jump (CMJ), agility, and dribbling speed. Following a 3-month, twice-weekly supervised intervention, post-intervention testing was performed. A 10-week follow-up tested retention of the performance outcomes. Statistical significance was set at alpha &lt;= 0.05. Results: ANOVA revealed significant time and time & times; group interactions across multiple knee biomechanical variables. The Football+ showed consistently larger magnitudes of change compared with the 11+, while the control group demonstrated limited changes (p = .005-0.047; eta 2 = 0.14-0.24). Similar interaction effects were observed for sprinting, agility, and dribbling performance (p = .002-0.01; eta 2 = 0.13-0.23). Performance improvements were not retained after a 10-week no-intervention period. Conclusion: The Football+ and 11+ programs improved high-risk movement patterns associated with an increased risk of knee injury, with more consistent and larger effects observed for the Football+. Improvements in performance measures were observed only following the Football+, supporting its potential as a time-efficient, dual-purpose warm-up. The performance improvements were not maintained following the no-intervention period.</p>