Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of total resistance exercise (TRX), suspension training on the specialized balance ability of surfing athletes. METHODS: A total of 32 Chinese National Surfing Team athletes were randomly assigned to TRX suspension training group (TRX group) and traditional balance training group (TB group), both undergoing an 8-week intervention training program consisting of three sessions per week lasting approximately 30 minutes each to improve balance ability. The balance board lateral squat specialized balance ability test was administered at different intervention phases to examine changes in participants' specialized balance ability. RESULTS: Following the 8-week intervention, both training modalities demonstrated significant improvements in surfing specialized balance metrics relative to baseline (p < 0.01 for all comparisons). Inter-group comparisons revealed statistically superior outcomes for TRX suspension training, with marked divergence emerging at the 5-week assessment (p = 0.005 < 0.01, |d| = 1.062 > 0.8) that intensified through intervention completion (p = 0.000 < 0.01, |d| = 1.417 > 0.8). CONCLUSION: Both 8 weeks of TRX suspension training and traditional balance training were effective in enhancing the specialized balance of surfers, but TRX suspension training was superior to traditional training in terms of enhancement, and this advantage was significantly demonstrated after 5 weeks and continued until the end of the training. TRX suspension training aligns with the balance demands of surfing, making it an effective training method. It is feasible for coaches to formulate customized TRX suspension training regimens tailored to surfers' proficiency levels and core stability, integrating sport-specific movement patterns to enhance athletes' neuromuscular adaptations for improved biomechanical control during dynamic wave navigation.