424-Comparison of the effects of yoga and self-myofascial release exercises on physical performance in 12–14-year-old female volleyball players

The aim of this study is to examine the effects of 8-week Yoga and Self-Myofascial Release (SMR) exercises on the physical performance of female volleyball players aged 12-14. Participants were randomly divided into three groups: those who participated in traditional volleyball training (control group (CG), SMR in addition to volleyball training, and yoga (YG) in addition to volleyball training. Vertical jump, sit-reach, flamingo balance and 20 m speed tests were applied before and after the study. During the study period, statistically significant differences were found in body mass (p=0.029) and height (p=0.002) of the control group, and only in height (p=0.003) of the yoga group. It was observed that different types of exercise modalities improved vertical jump and speed in the SMR group (p<0.05), did not affect physical performance in the yoga group (p>0.05), but volleyball training improved vertical jump and balance in the control group (p<0.05). Stretching ability did not improve in any group. The results obtained by statistically comparing the pretest-posttest difference scores between the groups revealed that there was no improvement in any of the physical parameters considered. As a result, it has been revealed that 8-week yoga exercises do not contribute to vertical jump, sit-reach, balance and 20 m sprint performance in 12-14 age group female volleyball players, while SMR exercises improve jumping and balance.