Halil Uçar‡, Murat Ozan§, Yusuf Buzdağlı|Corresponding author: Halil Uçar ( halil.ucar@inonu.edu.tr ) Academic editor: Wojciech Cynarski © Halil Uçar, Murat Ozan, Yusuf Buzdağlı. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), which permits to copy and distribute the article for non-commercial purposes, and the original author and source are credited. Adapted content must be distributed under the same license Citation:
Uçar H, Ozan M, Buzdağlı Y (2026) The eff ect of an eight-week dance training program on coordination and balance performance in taekwondo athletes. Journal of Applied Sports Sciences 10(1): 137-153. https://doi.org/10.37393/JASS.2026.10.01.11 |  |
Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of an eight-week structured dance training program on static balance, dynamic balance, and coordination performance in taekwondo athletes.
Methods: The study was conducted as a randomized controlled trial using a two-group pre-test–post-test parallel design. Thirty-four licensed male taekwondo athletes (18–24 years) who regularly participated in competitive taekwondo training were randomly assigned to either an experimental group (dance training plus taekwondo) or a control group (taekwondo training only). The intervention consisted of an eight-week structured dance training program performed twice weekly (45–60 min/session) in addition to regular taekwondo training. Static balance, dynamic balance, and coordination were assessed using the Flamingo Balance Test, Y-Balance Test, and Hexagon Test, respectively. Data were analyzed using a 2 × 2 mixed-design analysis of variance (ANOVA).
Results: No significant time × group interaction was observed for static balance performance (p > .05). However, significant time × group interactions were found for dynamic balance in both the right (F(1, 32) = 63.34, p < .001, ηp2 = .66) and left (F(1, 32) = 24.68, p < .001, ηp2 = .44) lower extremities, indicating greater improvements in the experimental group. Similarly, coordination performance assessed by the Hexagon Test showed a significant time × group interaction (F(1, 32) = 34.43, p < .001, ηp2 = .52), favoring the experimental group.
Conclusion: An eight-week dance-based training program significantly improves dynamic balance and coordination performance in taekwondo athletes, but does not provide additional benefits for static balance. Dance-based training may be considered an effective complementary training strategy for improving dynamic balance and coordination in trained taekwondo athletes. From a practical perspective, incorporating structured dance sessions into regular taekwondo training may support neuromotor performance components relevant to combat sport athletes.