The effect of medicine ball and resistance band exercises on throw-in performance in youth soccer players

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to: (1) examine how medicine ball and resistance band exercises affected the throw-in distance of young soccer players, particularly SSB Gama FC students; (2) examine how high and low arm muscle strength affected the throw-in distance; and (3) examine how medicine ball and resistance band exercises interacted with throw-in performance. Methods. Data from 28 soccer players selected through purposive sampling were analyzed using a 2×2 factorial design. Arm muscle strength was measured using a hand dynamometer, and throw-in distance was measured using a meter. Data were analyzed at a significance level of 0.05 using two-way ANOVA. Results. The results showed a significant improvement in throw-in distance (p < 0.05) in both the medicine ball and resistance band exercise groups. In the medicine ball group, throw-in distance improved from a pretest mean of 6.66 meters to a posttest mean of 8.65 meters, indicating a gain of 1.99 meters. In the resistance band group, the improvement was from 6.38 meters to 8.87 meters, a gain of 2.49 meters. These results suggest that resistance band training was more effective than medicine ball training in improving throw-in distance. However, there was no significant difference between players with high and low arm muscle strength (p > 0.05). An interaction effect between exercise type and arm strength was observed (p < 0.05), indicating that the impact of each exercise may vary depending on the player’s muscle strength. Conclusion. Resistance band exercises have a greater positive effect on throw-in performance than medicine ball exercises in youth soccer players, and the interaction with arm muscle strength should be considered in training programs.