Neuromuscular training improves performance and lowerextremity biomechanics in female athletes

ett. Neuromuscular training improves performance and lower-extremity biomechanics in female athletes. J. Strength Cond. Res. 19(1):51±60. 2005.—The purpose of this study was to ex-amine the effects of a comprehensive neuromuscular training program on measures of performance and lower-extremity move-ment biomechanics in female athletes. The hypothesis was that significant improvements in measures of performance would be demonstrated concomitant with improved biomechanical mea-sures related to anterior cruciate ligament injury risk. Forty-one female basketball, soccer, and volleyball players (age, 15.3 6 0.9 years; weight, 64.8 6 9.96 kg; height, 171.2 6 7.21 cm) under-went 6 weeks of training that included 4 main components (ply-ometric and movement, core strengthening and balance, resis-tance training, and speed training). Twelve age-, height-, and weight-matched controls underwent the same testing protoco