Effects of Hip Flexor Resistance Training On Strength, Speed and Agility in Young Female Cricket Players

Cricket has undergone dramatic changes in recent years, with the development of one day and Twenty-twenty cricket altering some of the vital characteristics of the game. The shorter game formats tend to be more physically intensive when related to match duration, incorporating more maximal sprints when fielding, bowling, and batting. As a result of these demands, running speed has become an essential athletic quality for cricketers and therefore must be assessed correctly. Based on the action of the legs, a running cycle can be subdivided into 3 phases-a supporting phase that begins when the foot lands and ends when the athlete's center of gravity (CG) passes forward of it, a driving phase that begins as the supporting phase ends and ends as the foot leaves the ground, and a recovery phase during which the foot is off the ground and is being brought forward preparatory to the next landing. Although quadriceps, hamstrings, and calf muscles are mainly responsible for propelling the body forward during running and jumping exercises, hip flexor muscles also contribute to these actions. Specifically, the hip flexor muscles assist in bringing the free leg forward and upward during the recovery phase of running. Muscular strength is one of the components of physical fitness. Athletes of different sports use resistance training to improve their muscular strength. Among the exercises that are commonly performed by athletes, hip flexion is one of the most ignored exercises in strength and conditioning for sports performance. Hip flexion exercises are often neglected in strength training programs for popular sports such as football, basketball, and soccer. Young et al. in 2011 study of the effects of strength training and reported that 2 sessions per week over a soccer season produced significant gains in isokinetic hip flexor and extensor strength as well as knee extensor and flexor strength. This was accompanied by a significant increase in maximum kicking distance, which was not observed in non-strength trained players. F. Tyler et al reported that the hip strength and flexibility play role in the incidence of adductor and hip flexor strains in ice hockey players. Deane et al. in an RCT compares two types of training programs, it was observed that high resistance training resulted in an improved initial acceleration phase, whereas high-velocity training resulted in an improved initial acceleration and maximum speed. Almost all methods or interventions focus on muscles associated with the driving phase of running (i.e., gluteus maximus, 2 quadriceps, and plantar flexors), whereas the training of muscles responsible for the recovery phase has not been explored. Specific ways of strengthening the hip-flexors in injury prevention or post-surgical rehabilitation have not previously been well described in the sports medicine literature. Acute injuries to the rectus femoris are often experienced in kicking sports, such as in the different football codes, whereas longstanding iliopsoas-related pain is common in football players, runners and dancers. Simple ways of improving hip flexor strength and function are needed in injury prevention. In addition to exercise machines and free-weight exercises, resistance training using elastic tubing has been demonstrated to be effective in strength development and improving sports performance. The clinical advantage of the elastic band is that it is portable and inexpensive, takes up very little space and can be used everywhere, indoor as well as outdoor, wherever solid attachment of the elastic band is possible. Hip flexor injuries are common in cricket players.

Literature is available on hip flexor training on soccer and ice hockey and mostly studies are done on the dominant sided leg. This study will be an initial attempt in Pakistan to explore the role of hip flexor strength in the performance of selected movement tasks commonly required in cricket.