Effects of a neuromuscular warm-up on Y-balance, countermovement jump performance, and stroke velocity in adolescent table tennis players

Abstract

Background/Objective Adolescent table tennis players are exposed to substantial physical and psychological demands during a period of ongoing growth and development, placing high demands on movement control, explosive performance, and sport-specific stroke execution. This study investigated the effects of an 8-week neuromuscular warm-up on dynamic balance, countermovement jump (CMJ) performance, and stroke velocity in adolescent male table tennis players. Methods Thirty adolescent male table tennis players were randomly assigned to either a neuromuscular warm-up group or a control group performing a conventional warm-up before regular training sessions. The intervention lasted 8 weeks, with 2 sessions per week. Outcome measures included upper quarter Y-balance test composite score (YBT-UQ), lower quarter Y-balance test composite score (YBT-LQ), CMJ height, and forehand and backhand topspin stroke velocity, assessed before and after the intervention. Linear mixed-effects models were used to examine the effects of group, time, and group × time interaction for each outcome. Results Linear mixed-effects models revealed significant group × time interactions for YBT-UQ (p < 0.001, ηp 2 = 0.32), YBT-LQ (p = 0.003, ηp 2 = 0.25), CMJ height (p < 0.001, ηp 2 = 0.54), forehand topspin velocity (p = 0.001, ηp 2 = 0.30), and backhand topspin velocity (p < 0.001, ηp 2 = 0.35). Significant pre-to-post improvements were observed in the neuromuscular warm-up group, whereas no significant changes were found in the control group. Conclusion These findings suggest that neuromuscular warm-up may be an effective strategy to enhance dynamic balance, jumping performance, and stroke velocity in adolescent male table tennis players.