Merve Can Kartal1, İbrahim Can2, Gökhan Yerlikaya3, Serkan Kaya4, Erkan Güven5
1Batman Municipality, Directorate of Sports Affair, Batman, Türkiye
2Iğdır University, Faculty of Sports Sciences, Department of Coaching Education, Iğdır, Türkiye
3Iğdır University, Tuzluca Vocational School, Therapy and Rehabilitation Department, Iğdır, Türkiye
4Iğdır University, The Graduate School, Department of Physical Education and Sport, Iğdır, Türkiye
5Mersin University, Faculty of Sports Sciences, Department of Coaching Education, Mersin, Türkiye
Acute Effects of Verbal Encouragement and Performance Feedback on Sprint, Agility, and Vertical Jump Performance in Young Female Handball Players
Sport Mont 2026, 24(3), Ahead of Print | DOI: 10.26773/smj.261018
Abstract
This study investigated the acute effects of verbal encouragement and performance feedback on sprint, agility, and vertical jump performance in young female handball players. Twenty-seven female handball players (age: 16.04±1.43 years; height: 166.48±5.10 cm; weight: 54.52±4.16 kg; body mass index: 19.65±0.93 kg/m2) voluntarily participated in the study. The performance characteristics of participants were tested on three different non-consecutive days: no external stimulus (NES), performance feedback (PF), and verbal encouragement (VE). Sprint and agility performances were assessed using a photocell timing system, while vertical jump performance was measured using a contact mat. According to the analysis results, significant differences were observed in sprint, agility, and vertical jump performance under the different feedback conditions (p<0.05). The best performance in the 30-m sprint and Illinois Agility Test was observed under the VE condition (5.22±0.17 s and 17.11±0.11 s, respectively), whereas the greatest vertical jump height was observed under the PF condition (33.24±0.84 cm) (p<0.05). In conclusion, selecting different feedback strategies depending on the targeted performance components during performance evaluation and pre-match preparation in young female handball players can help achieve the targeted high-performance results.
Keywords
external feedback, motor performance, team sports, female athletes, explosive power
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