An 8-Week Program of Plyometrics and Sprints with Changes of Direction Improved Anaerobic Fitness in Young Male Soccer Players.

Ghaith Aloui,Souhail Hermassi,René Schwesig,Mohamed Souhaiel Chelly,Aymen Khemiri,El Ghali Bouhafs,Lawrence D Hayes,Thomas Bartels

doi:10.3390/ijerph181910446

Abstract

This study examined the effects of 8 weeks of twice-weekly combined plyometric and sprint with change-of-direction (CPSCoD) training into habitual training regimes of young male soccer players. Participants were randomly allocated to an experimental group (n = 17, age: 14.6 ± 0.44 years, body mass: 61.2 ± 7.34 kg, height: 1.67 ± 0.09 m, body fat: 11.2 ± 1.56%) and a control group (n = 16, age: 14.6 ± 0.39 years, body mass: 61.1 ± 3.96 kg, height: 1.67 ± 0.05 m, body fat: 11.8 ± 1.47%). Measures obtained pre- and post intervention included vertical and horizontal jump performance (i.e., squat jump (SJ), countermovement jump (CMJ), and standing long jump (SLJ)), and sprint performance (i.e., 5 m and 20 m sprint). In addition, Measures obtained pre- and post-intervention included change-of-direction ability (4 × 5 m sprint test (S 4 × 5 m) and sprint 9–3–6–3–9 m with backward and forward running (SBF)), repeated change of direction (RCoD), and static balance performance (stork balance test). The training group experienced superior jump (all p < 0.05; d ≥ 0.61), sprint (all p < 0.05; d ≥ 0.58), change-of-direction (CoD) ability (all p < 0.05; d ≥ 0.58), RCoD (all parameters except the fatigue index p < 0.01; effect size (d) ≥ 0.71), and static balance (all p < 0.05; d ≥ 0.66) improvement. Adding twice-weekly CPSCoD training to standard training improves the anaerobic performance of U15 male soccer players.

Highlights

This study examined the effects of 8 weeks of twice-weekly combined plyometric and sprint with change-of-direction (CPSCoD) training into habitual training regimes of young male soccer players
intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC): Intraclass Correlation Coefficients; 95% CI: 95% Confidence Intervals; coefficients of variation (CV): Coefficients of Variation; SBF: Sprint 9–3–6–3–9 m with backward and forward running; squat jump (SJ): Squat Jump; standing long jump (SLJ): Standing Long Jump
In terms of vertical and horizontal jump performance, the present results showed significant intervention effects, in the experimental group compared to the control, (∆22%; p < 0.05; d = 0.61 on squat jump ∆20%; p < 0.05; d = 0.71 on countermovement jump and ∆15%; p < 0.05; d = 0.66 on standing long jump test, respectively, for the experimental group) (Table 4)

Summary

Introduction

Fitness is an important determinant of soccer performance [1]. During a 90 min match, elite young soccer players (13–18 years) complete intermittent running and often cover more than 6 km, emphasizing the importance of the aerobic metabolic pathway [2]. Players commonly perform high-speed actions over short distances (i.e., sprinting, acceleration, and deceleration), and their particular movements are associated with soccer-specific actions such as tackling, defending, or creating space during possession, with sprints being the most common action before scoring a goal [3,4,5]. The distance of six locomotor categories (CATs) and the total distance (TD) were chosen as 4.0/).

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Conclusion