Effectiveness of adding single leg hop training to wobble board training in improving dynamic balance and lower limb explosive power in 13–14-year-old basketball players: A randomized controlled trial
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Background: Dynamic balance and lower-limb explosive power are important for youth basketball performance. Wobble board training may improve postural control, while single leg hop exercises may provide additional benefits through dynamic unilateral loading. However, evidence regarding their combined effects in adolescent basketball players remains limited.
Objective: To determine whether adding single leg hop training to wobble board training produces greater improvements in dynamic balance and lower-limb explosive power than wobble board training alone in 13–14-year-old basketball players.
Methods: This randomized controlled trial included 40 players randomly allocated (1:1) to wobble board training (control; n = 20) or combined wobble board and single leg hop training (experimental; n = 20). Both groups trained for six weeks, three 30-minute sessions per week. Dynamic balance (primary outcome) and lower-limb explosive power (secondary outcome) were assessed using the Y-Balance Test (YBT) and Vertical Jump Test (VJT), respectively. Within- and between-group changes were analysed using paired- and independent-samples t-tests (α = 0.05).
Results: All participants completed the intervention. Both groups improved significantly in YBT and VJT performance (p < 0.001). The experimental group showed greater improvements in YBT (mean change: 15.32 vs 5.23 cm; mean difference = 10.08 cm; 95% CI [7.73, 12.43]; p < 0.001; d = 2.75) and VJT (5.75 vs 0.82 cm; mean difference = 4.94 cm; 95% CI [4.22, 5.66]; p < 0.001; d = 4.41).
Conclusion: Adding single leg hop training to wobble board training produced greater improvements in dynamic balance and lower-limb explosive power. However, the findings do not establish an isolated single-leg-hop effect or injury-prevention benefit.
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