The effectiveness of kettlebell exercises in the aspects of special efficiency training in American football

摘要

Background: The aim of the study was to investigate the effectiveness of kettlebell exercises in the aspect of shaping the special efficiency characteristics required by American football players.Material/Methods: The kettlebells training group (n = 12) and the American football group (n = 12), who used training typical of their discipline, were subjected to a fitness test in US football, consisting of a 40-yard run speed test, an agility test in two shuttle runs, a jumping test in Counter Movement Jump (CMJ), and a power and strength endurance tests.Results: In tests of speed, agility, jumping and power, there were no significant differences between footballers and kettlebell exercisers, while strength endurance testing (benchpress with 100 kg) and one special agility test (two shuttle runs) showed that training with kettlebells develops these qualities of physical fitness significantly worse than standard football practice (p 0.05).Conclusions: Kettlebell training can be beneficial for shaping most characteristics of the special efficiency needed in American football but it is not able to completely replace the traditional football strength training program, based on exercises with barbells.