The toe flexor strength, indicated by the flexion function of the plantar and toe, is closely related to various physical fitness factors. Moreover, it has been clarified that performance is expected to improve by training the movement of toes. On the other hand, regular practice and pre-match warm-up are indispensable from the viewpoint of injury prevention and performance enhancement. However, some types and methods of warming up are ineffective in enhancing performance. We verified the effect of a novel warm-up method that utilizes the flexion motion of the toes. Therefore, in this study, we investigated whether a warm-up incorporating plantar and toe flexor movement was effective in improving the agility, jumping, and sprinting performances. This study included 40 male university students who belonged to the athletic club. They were randomly classified into four groups of 10 participants each: dynamic stretch (DS) group, plantar-toe movement group, DS + plantar-toe movement group, and control group. The participants were assessed for toe gripping force, Illinois test, standing long jump, and 20-m running both before and after warming up. According to the results of the Illinois test, the plantar-toe movement group and DS + plantar-toe movement group showed improvement after the intervention, and a significant difference was noted with respect to the time factors (P<0.01). Additionally, in the intergroup factors of the Illinois test after the intervention, a significant difference was observed between the plantar-toe movement group, DS + plantar-toe movement group and the control group (P<0.05). The results of this study suggest that warming up with the plantar and toe movement is effective in improving the, Acceleration deceleration, and turning around, which are the parameters of the Illinois test.
