Impact of FIFA 11+ and Harmoknee warm-up protocols on coordination and change of direction performance in football athletes

This study aimed to compare the intervention effects of the FIFA11 + and Harmoknee warm-up programs on the coordination and change-of-direction abilities (COD) of college soccer players. A randomized parallel-group experimental design was adopted. Fifty-three male university soccer players (mean age 21.6 ± 0.9 years) were randomly assigned to the FIFA 11 + group (N = 18), the Harmoknee group (N = 17), or the control group (N = 18). All three groups underwent an 8-week intervention with two training sessions per week. Coordination was assessed using the Haller cycle test (HCT), while COD ability was evaluated through the 5-0-5 test, Illinois agility test (IAT), T-test, and Slalom test. After the 8-week intervention, the FIFA11 + group demonstrated a significant main effect of time across all measured variables (P < 0.01). The Harmoknee group also showed significant improvements in all variables except the Slalom test (P < 0.05). The control group exhibited significant improvements only in the HCT (P < 0.01) and the IAT (P < 0.05). Between-group comparisons revealed that the FIFA11 + group performed significantly better than the control group in the post-test measurements of the HCT (P < 0.01, Cohen’s d = 0.942), the 5-0-5 test (P < 0.05, Cohen’s d = 1.125), the IAT (P < 0.01, Cohen’s d = 1.082), and the Slalom test (P < 0.01, Cohen’s d = 1.079). The Harmoknee group performed significantly better than the control group only in the 5-0-5 test (P < 0.05, Cohen’s d = 0.925) and the IAT (P < 0.05, Cohen’s d = 0.401). Both the 8-week FIFA11 + and Harmoknee warm-up programs can enhance the coordination and change-of-direction abilities of college soccer players, albeit to varying degrees. The FIFA11 + program demonstrated superior efficacy in improving change-of-direction abilities, particularly as measured by the 5-0-5, IAT, and T-tests. It also exhibited positive improvement trends and post-test advantages in coordination ability and the Slalom test. Therefore, in training contexts where the development of multiple COD abilities in soccer players is a priority, the more systematically structured FIFA11 + warm-up program may be recommended.