Effects of 8 weeks plyometric training on injury prevention of domestic cricket players: A randomized clinical trial

Background: plyometric training enhances muscle function, improves dynamic strength, and potentially reduces injury risk by increasing the stiffness of the muscle-tendon complex. Objective: To determine the effects of 8-week plyometric exercises on injury prevention of domestic cricket players. Methods: A randomized clinical trial was conducted at the sports club PAF base Murid, Chakwal. A total of n=34 domestic cricket players were included in the study through a non-probability purposive sampling technique. Male players between the age gap of 18-25 years and having no history of trauma/injury in the past month were included in this study. They were randomly allocated into the plyometric group (n=18) and a conventional group (n=18). Group A received plyometric training whereas group B received conventional training. The Nine Test Battery Screening was used for assessment. The assessment was done at baseline and after the 8th week. Results: The mean age of cricketers in this study was 22.56±2.427. After 8 weeks of intervention, a significant difference was found in the plyometric group as compared to the conventional group for injury prevention using nine test battery screening with p-value (p<0.05) Conclusion: Plyometric training is effective in improving physical fitness and thus prevents injury in cricket players. plyometric training; nine test battery screening; keywords: conventional training; physical fitness; injury prevention