The Effects of Neuro-Athletic Training on Performance Parameters and Injury Risk in Taekwondo Athletes

Our study is a randomized controlled trial. The aim of the study is to investigate the effects of neuro-athletic training on balance, agility, jump performance parameters, and injury risk in Taekwondo athletes.

Hypotheses H0: Neuro-athletic training has no effects on balance, agility, jump performance parameters, and injury risk in Taekwondo athletes.

H1: Neuro-athletic training has effects on balance, agility, jump performance parameters, and injury risk in Taekwondo athletes.

Sample

A total of 26 participants will be included in the study. Randomization will be used to divide them into two groups:

Experimental group: 13 participants Control group: 13 participants Inclusion Criteria

• Regular participation in Taekwondo training for at least 2 years
• No musculoskeletal injury within the last 6 months
• Participation in Taekwondo training at least 2 days per week during the past 2 years
• Athletes with an anterior reach distance asymmetry of 4 cm or more after Y-Balance Test (YBT)
• Voluntary participation in the study Exclusion criteria for participants;
• Having had hip/pelvis, knee, or ankle surgery in the past year,
• Having a neurological disease,
• Using any medication that could affect balance, having a vestibular system disorder,
• Having a diagnosis of attention deficit.

Study Overview

• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Conditions: Athletes
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Neuro-athletic training; Other: training program

Detailed Description

Our study is a randomized controlled trial. The aim of the study is to investigate the effects of neuro-athletic training on balance, agility, jump performance parameters, and injury risk in Taekwondo athletes.

The hypotheses are as follows:

H0: Neuro-athletic training has no effects on balance, agility, jump performance parameters, and injury risk in Taekwondo athletes.

H1: Neuro-athletic training has effects on balance, agility, jump performance parameters, and injury risk in Taekwondo athletes.

A total of 26 participants will be included in the study. Randomization will be used to divide them into two groups: 13 participants in the experimental group and 13 participants in the control group.

nclusion criteria for participants are: regular participation in Taekwondo training for at least two years, no musculoskeletal injury within the last six months, participation in Taekwondo training at least two days per week during the past two years, anterior reach distance asymmetry of 4 cm or more after the Y-Balance Test (YBT), and voluntary participation in the study.

Exclusion criteria are: hip/pelvis, knee, or ankle surgery within the last year, presence of a neurological disorder, use of any medication that may affect balance, vestibular system disorders, and diagnosis of attention deficit. Power analysis was conducted using G*Power 3.1 software to determine the sample size. For repeated measures ANOVA with two groups and two measurement points, the effect size reported in a previous study for the Taekwondo-Specific Agility Test (TSAT) variable (η²p = 0.26) was taken as reference. With α = 0.05 and power (1-β) = 0.95, a total of 26 participants was calculated to be sufficient.

Participants, both male and female athletes, will be randomized into two groups using the sealed envelope method. Each group will consist of 13 athletes. In the experimental group, athletes will perform a neuro-athletic exercise program in addition to their regular training program, while athletes in the control group will continue only with their regular training. he study is planned to last eight weeks. Athletes will continue their normal training routines, but those in the experimental group will perform neuro-athletic exercises twice a week during the warm-up phase of their training. The program consists of 15-20 minutes of neuro-athletic exercises, as described in Table 1, and will be implemented for eight weeks. Assessments will be conducted at baseline and at the end of the eighth week (pre-test and post-test).

All participants will be informed in detail about the purpose of the study, procedures, and forms used, and written informed consent will be obtained.

The methods of evaluation include anthropometric measurements, Y-Balance Test, Reactive Balance Test, vertical jump assessment, and the Taekwondo-Specific Agility Test.

The study is planned to be conducted at Konya Selçuklu Municipality Sports School.

The expected benefit of the study is that neuro-athletic training, which focuses on the training of the central and peripheral nervous system, will improve communication between the brain and the body, thereby enhancing movement quality and training quality. For Taekwondo athletes, balance, agility, and jump height are crucial for success in competitions. Although the literature suggests that neuro-athletic training improves these parameters, the number of clinical studies is limited. Therefore, the expected benefit of this study is to clinically demonstrate the effectiveness of neuro-athletic training, enhance athlete performance, and contribute to injury prevention.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 26
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Turkey (Türkiye)
  • Denizli, Turkey (Türkiye)
    • Pamukkale Üniversitesi

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child; Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion criteria:

• Attending taekwondo training regularly for at least 2 years
• Not having had any muscle or skeletal injuries in the last 6 months
• Training in taekwondo at least 2 days a week in the past 2 years
• Athletes with anterior reach distance asymmetry of 4 cm or more after YDT
• Being willing to participate in the study

Exclusion criteria:

• Having had hip/pelvis, knee, or ankle surgery in the past year
• Having a neurological disease
• Using any medication that could affect balance, having a vestibular system disorder
• Being diagnosed with attention deficit

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: study group; In addition to their regular workouts, the athletes will follow a neuroathletic training program for 8 weeks.	Other: Neuro-athletic training; Neuroathletic training is a treatment approach that, in addition to regular training, provides athletes with more sensory input to the central nervous system and trains them neurologically.; Other: training program; It is a regular training program prepared for athletes specific to the sport field.
Active Comparator: Control group; Athletes in this group will continue their regular training prepared by their sport-specific coaches for 8 weeks.	Other: training program; It is a regular training program prepared for athletes specific to the sport field.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Risk of injury	The risk of injury will be assessed with the Y Balance Test. There are no specific upper or lower limits in the Y Balance Test; however, clinically accepted threshold values exist. The most critical threshold is an asymmetry greater than 4 cm between legs in the anterior direction and a composite score of less than 94%, which significantly increases the risk of injury.	start and 8 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Reactive Balance Test	The Reactive Balance Test (RBT) assesses an individual's ability to maintain balance when exposed to unexpected external stimuli. It evaluates neuromotor adaptability through measures such as response time, accuracy, and time to stability. While there are no fixed upper or lower limits, clinically meaningful thresholds-like prolonged response times or reduced accuracy-are used to identify impaired performance and increased injury risk. In the Reactive Balance Test, there are no fixed upper or lower limits; instead, clinically meaningful thresholds (e.g., response time >0.6 s, low accuracy) are considered indicators of risk.	start and 8 weeks
Vertical Jump Assessment	The Vertical Jump Assessment (Vertical Jump Test) is a widely used method to measure an athlete's explosive lower-body power by recording how high they can jump vertically. It does not have fixed "upper or lower limits," but jump height values are interpreted against normative data for age, gender, and sport.	start and 8 week
TSAT (Taekwondo-Specific Agility Test)	TSAT (Taekwondo-Specific Agility Test): It is an agility test that includes rapid changes of direction, sprinting, and kicking combinations specific to taekwondo athletes. Purpose: To measure sport-specific agility, anaerobic capacity, and movement control. Application: The athlete performs rapid changes of direction over set distances and executes taekwondo techniques (e.g., roundhouse kick). There are no fixed upper or lower limits; performance is evaluated based on time and movement accuracy, and normative values are interpreted according to the athlete's level."	Start and 8 week
Athlete Injury Anxiety Scale	SIAS (Sport Injury Anxiety Scale): Developed by Rex & Metzler (2016), it measures the tendency of athletes to perceive injury situations as threatening. Purpose: To evaluate the psychological impact of injury risk on athletes, including fear of reinjury, loss of performance, and social consequences. Format: 21 items, 5-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree, 5 = strongly agree). It does not have fixed upper or lower limits; instead, it uses subscales to capture different dimensions of injury-related anxiety.	start and 8 week

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Pamukkale University
• Investigators: Study Director: FATMA ÜNVER, PROFESÖR, Pamukkale Üniversitesi

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): October 1, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): September 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): October 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: June 20, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 8, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): July 14, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): July 14, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 8, 2026
• Last Verified: October 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: physical therapy; athletes; taekwondo; neuro-athletic
• Other Study ID Numbers: PamukkaleU-FTR-RA-01

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No