Hamstring Flexibility and Sprint Speed in Female Rugby Players after a 12-week Yoga Training

Authors : Tilak RAJ, Michael HAMLİN, Catherine ELLİOT

Pages : 1-18

Doi:10.55929/besad.1110242

View : 13 | Download : 10

Publication Date : 2023-03-31

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :There is an ongoing search on how to enhance the sprint performance of athletes. One should likely start investigating beyond traditional sport-training techniques about enhancing the sprinting ability of an athlete. Female rugby players were randomly assigned to one of the two groups; an experimental group insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(n = 5); and a control group insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(n = 5);. Data were collected during pre-season and end-season on hamstring flexibility and sprint performance. Unpaired t-tests with an alpha level of p ≤ 0.05, Pearson correlation coefficient for the correlation. The experimental group significantly improved their straight leg raise test insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(SLR); by 29.1 ± 15.3-degrees insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(mean % change ± 95% CI, p < 0.05); and 5 m sprint time -10.4 ± 10.2 % compared to the control group 2.9 ± 15.3-degree insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(p = 0.05);, and time difference of 9.9 ± 6.1% respectively. There was also a moderate negative correlation between SLR and 5 m sprint performance time insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(r = -0.29, p < 0.05 statistical significance. Results indicate that a 12-week yoga training helped improve the hamstring flexibility and performance of the 5 m acceleration phases of the 20 m sprint of rugby union players compared to a control group. Yoga helped rugby players to improve their hamstring flexibility when practiced alongside normal rugby training but maybe did little to improve sprint measures greater than 5 m performance during the season.
Keywords : range of motion, physical performance, popliteal angle, straight leg raise test, acceleration