Chronic Effects of Rotational Inertial Devices on Adolescents' Physical Capacities in Team Sports: A Systematic Review

Inertial training is one of the most popular training methodologies in recent years and one of the objects of study in recent literature. The aim of this systematic review is to evaluate the current literature surrounding the chronic effect of rotational inertial devices on the physical capacities of team sports athletes through jumping performance, sprinting time, and change of direction performance. This systematic review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocols. Three databases were screened up to January 2023. Eight studies were included in the final analysis. The results revealed the effectiveness of rotational inertial devices as flywheels or conic pulleys, showing significant improvements (from trivial to large effect size) in jump performances, significant improvements in some tests for change of direction ability and non-consistent results for sprint tests with significant improvements mainly in short distances. In conclusion, inertial training has been shown to be a useful way to improve performance in young athletes in team sports.