NEUROATHLETIC AND REACTIVE TRAINING IN AMERICAN FOOTBALL PLAYERS

The Functional Movement Screen (FMS) consists of seven movement tasks designed to assess the balance between mobility and stability: deep squat, hurdle step, inline lunge, shoulder mobility, active straight leg raise, trunk rotary stability, and trunk stability push-up. The test was administered using a standard test kit, and each movement was scored on a scale from 0 to 3 according to the standard scoring system. In the presence of pain, the relevant movement was recorded as 0 points (Altundağ et al., 2021).

Dynamic balance and postural control were assessed using the Y Balance Test. Participants stood on the fixed platform with their non-dominant lower extremity while reaching in the anterior, posteromedial, and posterolateral directions with the contralateral lower extremity. Three trials were performed in each direction, and reach distances were normalized to lower extremity length to calculate the composite score. Lower extremity length was measured as the distance between the anterior superior iliac spine and the medial malleolus (Unver et al., 2020).

The Reactive Balance Test was used to assess reactive postural control and visuomotor response performance associated with injury risk. This test consisted of the integration of the Y Balance Test setup with an LED-based light system (ReactionX) controlled via a smartphone application. The LED lights were positioned at 80% of the participants' maximum reach distance in each direction during the Y Balance Test. Participants were instructed to maintain balance in the standard starting position and deactivate the randomly illuminated LED lights as quickly as possible. A total of 45 visual stimuli were presented at varying intervals ranging from 0.5 to 2.5 seconds to minimize anticipatory effects. Test outcomes were recorded as visuomotor reaction time (ms) and accuracy (%). The test was performed twice; the first trial was considered a familiarization trial, and the results of the second trial were used for analysis (Tekin et al., 2025).

Core endurance was assessed using the prone plank test. Participants were instructed to lift their body off the mat in a prone position so that only their elbows and toes remained in contact with the surface. The test was terminated if they were unable to correct a disruption in posture within more than three seconds. The test was performed three times, and the mean duration was used for analysis (Unver et al., 2020).

Flexibility was assessed using the sit-and-reach test. Participants were asked to remove their shoes, sit with their feet placed against the testing box, and reach forward as far as possible without bending their knees. The test was performed twice, and the highest value was recorded in centimeters (Mayorga-Vega et al., 2014).