Abstract:

The aim of this study is to examine the acute effects of foam roller on performance after static and dynamic stretching exercises in elite volleyball players. A total of 8 male athletes with age average of 19.3±0.39 participated in the study voluntarily. The participants’ performance evaluations were carried out on two separate days, after stretching with stretching exercises and after foam roller exercise in addition to stretching with stretching exercises. 30 m sprint and agility performance of the participants were measured with a Smart Speed photocell. Flexibility measurements of the participants were performed with a standard sit-reach bench. A Smart Jump contact mat was used for active and multiple jump measurements of the participants. The data analysis was performed with SPSS 23.0 package program at 95% confidence interval (p<0.05). The assessment of the difference between different stretching protocols was evaluated with the Wilcoxon Signed-Rank test. No statistically significant difference was found between Static-Dynamic stretching and Static-Dynamic stretching combined Foam Roller protocols in terms of sprint (z=-0.702, p=0.48), agility (z=-1.4, p=0.16), flexibility (z=-0.422, p=0.67), and anaerobic power (z=-0.28, p=0.78) parameters. Conclusion: It can be concluded that foam roller exercises in addition to static-dynamic stretching do not affect performance in elite volleyball players.