Effects of Biological Age on Athletic Adaptations to Combined Plyometric and Sprint with Change of Direction with Ball Training in Youth Soccer Players.

Abstract

There is evidence for the effectiveness of youth combined plyometric and sprint with change of direction (COD) training. However, the evidence is not well-known regarding the in-season effects of biological age (peak height velocity-PHV) on the motor adaptive processes following combined plyometric and COD with ball training (P-CODBT) in youth soccer players. This study aimed to examine the in-season effects of P-CODBT (8 weeks and twice a week) on the athletic performances of male youth soccer players, circa- and post-PHV. In a randomized controlled training study with pre-to-post measurements, forty-eight male players were assigned into two experimental (performing P-CODBT; n = 12 × circa-PHV and n = 12 × post-PHV) and two control groups (CONG; n = 12 × circa-PHV and n = 12 × post-PHV). The pre- and post-training participants were assessed for their anthropometric, linear sprinting with and without a ball, COD speed with and without a ball, vertical jump, dynamic balance, and endurance-intensive performances. After the intervention, the experimental condition induced significant (all p < 0.0001) and small to large effect size (ES = 0.263-3.471) additional gains only on explosive measures compared to CONG. Both the experimental (all p < 0.0001; ES = 0.338-1.908) and control (p = 0.011-0.0001; ES = 0.2-1.8) groups improved their athletic performances over the training period. The improvements generated by p-CODBT were not affected by biological age. In-season short-term P-CODBT (twice a week) could be safe way to generate benefits in explosive performances in youth soccer players, which are relevant components of match-winning actions in soccer.