Comparison of Workshop Delivery Methods on Youth Soccer Coaches' Ability to and Self-efficacy in Identifying Exercise Errors of a Soccer Neuromuscular Training Warm-up

Study Design A cluster randomized controlled trial (RCT) was conducted within the Calgary Minor Soccer Association (CMSA) in 2019 to evaluate how integration of peer to peer (P2P) learning with technology into a soccer NMT warm-up workshop influences coaches' ability and confidence to identify exercise errors. Soccer coaches within each recruited club were randomly educated with a soccer NMT warm-up workshop with or without peer to peer learning technology. Coaches completed a video-based test and self-efficacy scale on their ability to recognize NMT exercise errors.

Participants and Randomization The study population included CMSA youth soccer coaches during the 2019/2020 indoor soccer season. The forty soccer clubs of the CMSA received a study information flyer by e-mail from the CMSA administration staff. Six of the soccer clubs agreed to host soccer NMT warm-up workshops at their club houses for a total of 89 youth soccer coaches in attendance.

Coaches from the recruited clubs were randomized to attend one of two types of workshops; the intervention workshop with technology integrated instruction of the soccer NMT warm-up or the control workshop with standard in person instruction of the soccer NMT warm-up. A stratified by soccer club and block randomized by two (for each type of workshop) computer generated randomized allocation sequence was used to determined which workshop the coaches receive within each club. The randomized allocation sequence was generated prior to the study commencing by the investigator. As clubs were recruited and workshops were scheduled, assignment of the interventions were applied by the investigator to workshop facilitators prior to workshop delivery.

Procedures Soccer NMT Warm-up Program The soccer NMT warm-up program is a modified version of a NMT warm-up program developed by Finnish researchers for floorball and soccer by Pasanen et al. (2008). This program is also a slightly modified version of the presently used SHRed Injuries NMT warm-up program. The current soccer NMT program consists of nine, level one exercises divided into four categories: aerobic, agility, strength, and balance where most exercises have the option to increase the difficultly as shown by the level two options.

Peer to Peer Learning Tablet Application The P2P learning tablet-based application is an application used to facilitate the comprehension and execution of various movement patterns. This is the technology that will be used in the intervention workshop. For each movement pattern or exercise, the application requires two individuals to partner up where one is the subject performing the exercise in the video recorded (video not to be stored on the application or device) and the other individual records the video. Prior to recording any video, the partners observe a correct exercise demonstration video and a list of key criteria or key components for every exercise that has to be met in order for the exercise to be performed correctly. One person in the partnership is filmed performing the exercise. The subject and their partner are then able to view the video, evaluate it and discuss if the subject was able to perform each component correctly, incorrectly or partially correct. The partners then switch roles. Application users are then able to improve their execution and understanding of the exercise by evaluating themselves and their partner through the application.