DOI: 10.38021/asbid.1949318 ISSN: 2667-5463

Effects of a Fundamental Athletics and Corrective Exercise Program on Athletic Performance, Postural Alignment, and Functional Movement in Youth Soccer Players

Nuri Topsakal, Recep Fatih Kayhan, Gülşah Kızıltaş, Abdullah Sözüer, İbrahim Can, Serdar Bayrakdaroğlu
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Although physical performance is central to talent development in young soccer players, it must be developed alongside movement quality and postural alignment to support long-term athletic progression. This study aimed to examine the effects of an eight-week fundamental athletics and corrective exercise program on functional movement quality, postural alignment, and selected physical performance parameters in U15 soccer players. A pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design with a control group was used, involving 37 male soccer players (experimental=21, age 14.50±0.44; control=16, age 14.32±0.80). The experimental group performed a structured program four days per week for eight weeks, while the control group continued regular training. Total FMS score showed a significant main effect of Time (F=75.18; p<.001; η²p=.68), but neither Group (p=.060) nor the Time×Group interaction (p=.067) reached significance. The experimental group showed significant within-group improvements in deep squat, hurdle step, in-line lunge, and shoulder mobility; only deep squat showed a significant between-group difference (p=.002; q=.012; d=1.16). No significant between-group difference was found in overall postural score changes (p=.205). For physical performance, balance and vertical jump improved over time in both groups, but the Time×Group interaction was non-significant; vertical jump showed a significant main effect of Group only (p=.023). Horizontal jump (F=8.92; p=.005), agility (F=10.93; p=.002), and sprint (F=28.28; p<.001) showed significant Time×Group interactions favoring the experimental group. In conclusion, the fundamental athletics and corrective exercise program provided young soccer players with a targeted rather than general benefit, most reliably enhancing deep squat movement quality and explosive capacities such as horizontal jump, agility, and speed.

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