Acute Effects of a Brief Low-Load Core Activation Warm-Up on Football-Specific Technical Performance in Male Youth Players: A Counterbalanced Crossover Study

Warm-up routines in football increasingly incorporate neuromuscular activation components; however, evidence regarding the acute effects of core activation on football-specific technical performance in youth players remains limited. This single-session, counterbalanced crossover study randomly assigned 24 male youth football players (age: 15.6 ± 0.5 years) to one of two condition sequences (core activation first or conventional warm-up first) using a computer-generated random number list with a 1:1 allocation ratio. Both warm-up protocols were duration-matched (~8-10 minutes). The core activation protocol consisted of body-weight exercises targeting anterior, lateral, and posterior trunk musculature (front plank, side plank, glute bridge, dead bug, bird-dog). The conventional warm-up consisted of dynamic mobility and low-intensity running drills. Following each warm-up condition, players completed standardised assessments of dribbling time (slalom test), passing accuracy (target-based test), shooting accuracy (target-based test), and ball control (first-touch control test). A 10-minute passive recovery period separated the two conditions. Linear mixed models with condition, period, and sequence as fixed effects and participant as a random intercept were used for analysis. The study was not powered for equivalence or non-inferiority testing and was conceived as feasibility evidence for a subsequent definitive multi-session trial.