Development and Evaluation of a Knowledge Transfer Scheme-Based Foot Core Training Program for Male Amateur Football Players

In the world of sports, the body is often viewed as a chain of connected parts, where a weakness in one link can cause the whole system to falter. For decades, coaches and medical professionals have focused heavily on the larger, more obvious joints—the knees, hips, and lower back—when trying to prevent injuries or boost performance in athletes. They have built extensive training routines to strengthen these areas, assuming that if the big muscles are strong, the rest will follow. However, a quieter, smaller part of the body has often been overlooked: the foot itself. Specifically, the tiny muscles that live inside the foot, which act like a natural support system to keep the arch stable and the body balanced. These muscles are so small that many people have never even heard of them, let alone trained them. Yet, just as a house needs a solid foundation to stand tall, the body needs a stable foot to move efficiently. When these internal muscles are weak, the arch can collapse slightly under pressure, a condition that can throw off the entire leg and increase the risk of injury.

A team of researchers in Turkey decided to test whether paying attention to these hidden muscles could actually change how amateur football players perform. They did not just guess at a solution; they built a training plan using a structured method that combined scientific evidence with the practical advice of experts. They created a six-week program specifically designed to wake up and strengthen the muscles inside the foot. They then put this plan to the test on a group of male amateur football players. The goal was simple: see if training these small muscles could make the players jump higher, run faster, and balance better, while also making their foot arches more stable. The results were striking. The players who followed the foot training program showed clear improvements in almost every area they were tested on, suggesting that the key to a stronger athlete might lie in the very ground they stand on.

The study began by recognizing a gap in how footballers are currently trained. While many injury prevention programs exist, they mostly target the knees and hips, leaving the foot itself largely untouched. The researchers knew that the foot is not just a passive platform but an active part of the body's movement system. To create a program that would actually work in the real world, they first asked athletes, coaches, and therapists what they needed. They found that while everyone knew injury prevention was important, most people did not know how to train the foot properly. They also discovered that players preferred short, manageable sessions that could be done before their regular practice. Using this feedback, along with a review of existing scientific studies, the team designed a specific set of ten exercises. These included movements like arching the foot without lifting the toes, picking up a towel with the toes, and balancing on one foot while shifting weight in different directions. The exercises were chosen to target the intrinsic muscles, which are the small muscles located entirely within the foot, distinct from the larger muscles that attach to the foot from the leg.

To see if this approach worked, the researchers divided 81 male amateur football players into two groups. One group, consisting of 34 players, added the foot core training to their usual routine. They performed the ten exercises for about 20 to 25 minutes, three times a week, for six weeks. The other group, made up of 47 players, continued with their normal club training without any extra foot exercises. Before the six weeks began, both groups were tested on their physical abilities. They were timed on how fast they could sprint short distances, how far they could jump both vertically and horizontally, how quickly they could change direction, and how well they could balance on one leg. They were also measured for something called navicular drop, which is a way to see how much the arch of the foot flattens when a person stands up. This measurement is important because a foot that flattens too much can indicate that the supporting muscles are weak.

After the six weeks of training, the results showed a clear difference between the two groups. The players who did the foot training improved significantly more than those who did not. Their vertical jump height increased by about 8.5 percent, a substantial gain that suggests they could generate more power from their legs. Their horizontal jump distance also grew, and they became noticeably faster in sprints of 10, 20, and 30 meters. In the agility test, where players had to sprint, turn sharply, and sprint back, the trained group was faster on both their left and right sides. Perhaps most importantly, their balance improved. On a test where they had to reach as far as possible in different directions while standing on one leg, the trained group showed a marked increase in their reach, indicating better control and stability.

The changes in the foot structure itself were equally impressive. The measurement of navicular drop, which tracks how much the arch sinks when standing, decreased by about 15 percent in the trained group. This means their foot arches became stiffer and more stable, holding their shape better under the weight of their bodies. In contrast, the control group, which did not do the extra foot exercises, showed very little change in any of these areas. Their jump heights, sprint times, and balance scores remained largely the same, and their foot arches did not become significantly more stable. The researchers noted that the improvements in the trained group were not just small, random fluctuations but were consistent and significant enough to be considered real effects of the training.

The study suggests that by strengthening the small muscles inside the foot, the entire lower body becomes more efficient. When the foot arch is stable, it acts like a rigid lever that helps push the body forward and upward with more force. This stability also helps the body absorb impact and maintain balance, which is crucial for sports that involve sudden stops, turns, and jumps. The researchers emphasized that while the results are promising, the study had some limitations. Because the players chose which group to join rather than being randomly assigned, it is possible that the trained group was slightly more motivated or different in some other way. Additionally, the study only looked at male amateur players, so it is not yet known if the same results would apply to women or professional athletes. However, the fact that the foot arch became more stable—a physical change that is hard to fake—suggests that the training did indeed work.

Ultimately, this research offers a new perspective on athletic training. It shows that you do not always need to focus on the biggest muscles to get better results. Sometimes, the key lies in the smallest, most overlooked parts of the body. For amateur football players, adding a few minutes of specific foot exercises to their weekly routine could lead to faster sprints, higher jumps, and better balance, all while potentially reducing the risk of injury. The study concludes that while more research is needed to confirm these findings with larger, randomized groups, the evidence so far points to the foot core as a vital component of athletic performance. It is a reminder that in the complex machine of the human body, every part, no matter how small, plays a role in how well the whole thing functions.