Skip to main content
OpenTrials
Completed

NCT Number: NCT06397586

Plyometric Training Based on Motor Imagery and Action Observation in Female Volleyball Players

Plyometric training (PT) is training consisting of exercises that enable the muscles to reach maximum strength in minimum time. PE improves lower extremity muscle strength, jumping performance, agility, reaction time. Although plyometric exercises contribute greatly to increasing athlete performance, athletes cannot apply PE due to loading procedures at all times of the season. PEs in the literature generally involve active application of exercises. The definition of exercise includes not only physical exercise but also mental exercise. Athletes can use mental exercises as complementary training methods that can complement or add to physical training to compensate for their deficiencies. When mental exercises are examined, we often encounter two concepts. These are action observation (AO) and motor imagery (MI). MI imagines a task without actually performing it. AO is when a person watches a certain action being performed by another third party or while the video is being played back. There are studies showing that training on MI and AO methods creates more activation in the brain when applied together. Although the definition of motor imagery has been broadly separated from action, more recent imagery theories have led to the concept of dynamic motor imagery (DMI), the practice of athletes adopting a harmonious body position and embodying the spatial and temporal properties of movement without performing the entire movement. To the best of our knowledge, no study has been found in which PT based on MI and AO was performed on female volleyball players. Additionally, to our knowledge, the effectiveness of DMI on female volleyball players has not been investigated. Therefore, the aim of our study is; PT based on MI and AO is applied to female volleyball players in two different ways; The aim is to investigate the effects of balance, jumping, agility and reaction time and to compare the effectiveness of these two methods.

Completed

Looking for future studies?

Notify Me

Key information

Conditions

Motor Imagery

Age range

18 year–30 year

Sex eligibility

Female

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Faculty of Health Sciences

Istanbul, Zeytinburnu, 34010, Turkey (Türkiye)

About this study

45 licensed female volleyball players between the ages of 18 and 25 will be included in the study. Volleyball players will be randomized into three groups: Group A, Group B, Group C. Group A- Routine training + MI and AO; He/she will be included in an MI and AO based PT exercise program with a physiotherapist 2 days a week for 8 weeks. Group B- Routine training + DMI and AO will perform the same exercise program as DMI. Group C- Control group will continue their routine training program for 8 weeks. Demographic information of all patients to be included in the study will be recorded with the "Case Evaluation Form". The patients' static balances were measured with the Performanz device, their dynamic balances with the Y balance test, their jumping performances with the My Jump 2 application and one-step jump test, their agility performances with the shuttle running test and agility T test, their reaction times with the Blazepod device, their movement imagination abilities with the Movement Imagination Questionnaire. It will be evaluated with -3. All data will be evaluated using statistical analysis methods.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Being a woman between the ages of 18-25
  • Becoming a licensed volleyball player
  • Playing volleyball actively
  • Knowing how to read and write Turkish to understand, interpret and answer surveys
  • Having signed the informed consent form

Exclusion criteria

Athletes with acute injury and/or early postoperative surgery

  • Those who suffered injuries while working
  • Those who did not follow the research protocol (did not complete the tests and/or did not complete the training program)
  • Those who want to leave the research voluntarily

Treatment and study plan

Routine volleyball

Other

MOtor imagery

Other names: plyometric training

Primary outcomes

  1. Movement Imagination Questionnaire-3

    Time frame: baseline and immediately after the intervention

    It was developed by Williams et al. and Dilek et al. in order to determine the imagination ability of all individuals included in the training and control groups. "Movement Imagination Questionnaire-3", whose Turkish validity and reliability has been established by , will be used (internal consistency coefficient: 0.87). With 12 items in this survey, internal visual imagery, external visual imagery and kinesthetic imagery abilities will be evaluated through four actions each. Actions will initially be taken actively by individuals. They were then asked to perform these actions as mental tasks. These mental tasks were scored using a seven-point Likert scale (1: very difficult to see and feel; 7: very easy to see and feel). In the score calculation, the score average of the four relevant actions will be taken for each of the three sub-dimensions

  2. Vertical jump test

    Time frame: baseline and immediately after the intervention

    Vertical jump test will be used to determine the vertical jump distances of the participants. The jump test will be video recorded and analyzed with the help of the smartphone application "My Jump 2" (© 2016-18 Carlos Balsalobre-Fernández). It has been emphasized that there is a near-perfect similarity between the My Jump 2 application and the reactive force index, time on the ground and jump height measurements of the force platform, and therefore the application is a valid and reliable measurement method

  3. Agility Performance Evaluation

    Time frame: baseline and immediately after the intervention

    Shuttle running test (MKT) is a test frequently used to evaluate agility in athletes. MKT test will be applied according to the recommendation of Leger and Lambert (1982). Running speed signals will be controlled with the Sportexpert Test Timer (Italy) pace generator device. The test will start at 8.5 km/h and increase by 0.5 km/h every minute. Participants were asked to travel 20m at each signal. The test will be terminated when the participants cannot complete the 20m distance three times in a row even though the signal sounds. The estimated VO2max values of the participants will be calculated with the formula suggested by Leger et al.

  4. Agility T test

    Time frame: baseline and immediately after the intervention

    Agility T test consists of 4 contact points formed in a T shape in an area of 10m length and 10m width. The aim is to complete a series that requires the subject to move in different directions and in different ways between these contact points in the shortest time possible. The difference between this test and other agility tests is that the subject always looks in the same direction. It changes direction by sliding steps to the right and left or by running backwards. This test requires two 900° and 1800° turns, as well as 10m forward, 10m right, 10m left and 10m back, for a total distance of 40m

  5. single-step hop test

    Time frame: baseline and immediately after the intervention

    The single-step hop test will be used, which has been found to have excellent test-retest reliability as an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.94 for the dominant side and 0.96 for the non-dominant side

Secondary outcomes

  1. Y balance test

    Time frame: baseline and immediately after the intervention

    Y balance test (YDT) will be used to evaluate dynamic balance. Measurement will be made with the "Y Balance Test" platform. YDT allows the participant to balance on one foot while simultaneously extending the other foot in three different directions as possible: anterior, posterolateral and posteromedial. The YDT composite score is calculated by summing the 3 reaching directions and dividing the results by the lower extremity length. YDT is one of the valid and reliable measurement methods used to evaluate balance in athletes

  2. Static Balance test

    Time frame: baseline and immediately after the intervention

    Performance Balance system is an electronic monitoring device designed to analyze lower extremity muscle groups that affect human balance. The basic method used is to reveal the contraction behavior of the muscles by following the balance focus. The device will measure the differences between individuals' dynamic and static balance, eyes open and eyes closed balance, two-foot and single-foot (right/left) balance, and right/left foot balance, and first-test-last-test balance developments will be measured. During the test, the participant will be asked to stand on the balance system and maintain his balance by following the commands given. The platform is linked to computer software that allows the balance to be evaluated objectively. Thanks to this software, the researcher will be able to monitor the measurements from his tablet or laptop. Muscle structure and balance measurements of individuals will be evaluated according to the results of the balance tests

  3. Evaluation of reaction time

    Time frame: baseline and immediately after the intervention

    Reaction times of the participants will be measured with the Blazepod (Israel) system, which consists of wireless light discs that can be controlled via an application compatible with smart devices. A validity and reliability study was conducted to evaluate the reaction time of the device (

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Ugur Cavlak

Other

Collaborators

  • Biruni University

Registry information

Official study title

Effectiveness of Plyometric Training Based on Two Different Motor Imagery and Action Observation Tecniques Applied to Female Volleyball Players

Important dates

Study start
2024
Primary completion
2025
Study completion
2025
First posted
May 3, 2024
Registry last updated
Jul 14, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

Related clinical trials

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.