Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 9, 2026
Effects of a Novel Neuromuscular Training Intervention on Jump, Sprint, and Change of Direction in Adult Female Soccer Players
Published on: June 10, 2025
A Video Analysis Study Examining Neuromuscular Training Warm-Up Practices in Youth Soccer
Destiny Lutz1, Carla van den Berg1, Matthew G Neill1
1Sport Injury Prevention Research Centre, Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada.
Objectives:
To investigate time spent completing neuromuscular training (NMT) exercises in youth soccer team warm-up across a season considering sex, level of play, session type, and coach exposure and awareness of NMT.
Design:
Cross-sectional video-analysis study.
Setting:
Youth soccer, Calgary, Canada.
Participants:
Tier 1-3 youth (U13-U18) soccer teams (n = 22) from 6 clubs during the 2022 outdoor season (11v11).
Interventions:
Across a 5-month season (May-September), 10 warm-ups (1 practice, 1 game) were filmed for each team at each time point.
Main Outcome:
Time spent (s) by NMT components (aerobic, balance, strength, agility, head-on-neck control). Coaches' current knowledge of NMT was also collected in relation to current warm-up structure.
Results:
Twenty-two teams completing 171 warm-ups (87 practices, 84 games) were analyzed. Mean active time (seconds; s) spent in warm-ups was 322.4s (95% CI, 250.3-394.5). NMT components account for 202.2s (95% CI, 150.3-254.2), with majority spent in aerobic (156.9s, 95% CI, 137.3-176.6) and less than 1 minute (22.3%) in more critical components (balance, strength, agility). No head-on-neck components were observed. Changes in warm-up composition did not change across time points. Female elite teams spent 335.8 s (95% CI, 257.8-413.8) less than elite males in practices. There were not differences in elite game warm-ups or across nonelite groups. Of 13 coaches, 38.5% knew about NMT warm-up programs, whereas only 3 (23.1%) reported implementing NMT warm-up programs.
Conclusion:
Despite previous implementation efforts, time spent in critical NMT component (balance, strength, agility), apart from aerobic, was limited. Increased engagement and evaluation of head-on-neck control should be considered. Targeted implementation strategies are essential to maximize injury prevention efforts.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:29Relaxation of Skeletal Muscles
When an action potential reaches the axon terminal, it depolarizes the membrane and opens voltage-gated sodium channels. Sodium ions enter the cell, further depolarizing the presynaptic membrane. This depolarization causes voltage-gated calcium channels to open....
01:19The Neuromuscular Junction
01:20Motor Unit Stimulation
The latent period of contraction marks the onset of excitation-contraction coupling, when the action potential propagates across the sarcolemma, preparing the muscle fibers for contraction. As the fibers enter the contraction phase, the...
01:22Somatic Spinal Reflexes
One of the most well-known somatic spinal reflexes is the stretch reflex, which is activated by the sudden stretching of a muscle. This reflex involves the activation of specialized sensory receptors called muscle spindles, which are located in the muscle tissue and detect changes in the length and speed of muscle contractions. When a muscle is suddenly...
01:28Disorders of the Skeletal Muscle
Musculoskeletal disorders
Musculoskeletal disorders involve injuries and conditions affecting the skeletal muscles and associated connective tissues. These disorders can arise from acute biomechanical stresses or chronic overuse and can occur across different age groups. Common injuries include sprains, fractures, and muscular strains, often resulting from...