The Effect of Core Strength Training on Free Throw and Vertical Jump Performance in Basketball

The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of core training on free throw and vertical jump performance in basketball. The study sample consisted of 18 female basketball players with an average age of 11.36 ± .505 years who had been playing basketball for 2 years and voluntarily participated in the study. The sample group was selected using the convenience sampling method, so no power analysis was performed. The athletes were randomly divided into two groups, the experimental group and the control group, with 9 athletes in each group. The average age of the experimental and control groups was 11.36 ± 0.505 years and 12 ± 0.632 years, respectively, the average height was 151.64 ± 9.124 cm and 142.45 ± 4.634 cm, respectively, and the body weight was 40.55 ± 7.461 kg and 45.55 ± 5.298 kg, respectively. While the participants in the experimental group completed the core training program twice a week for eight weeks, no training program was carried out in the control group. Participants were asked to make 10 free throws each, including before and after the test, and those who hit 10 were recorded. The t-test for independent samples was used to analyze the data (p < 0.05). As a result of the study, it was found that core training positively influenced the free throw performance of 11-13 year old basketball players (p=.017), while no statistical significance was reached for vertical jump performance (p=.351).