Abstract
The aim of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the effects of complex training (CT) on sprint, jump, and change of direction (COD) ability among soccer players. After an electronic search, 10 peer-reviewed articles were considered in the meta-analysis. The athletes included in this meta-analysis were amateur to professional level male soccer players (age range, 14–23 years). These studies incorporated CT in soccer players who were compared to a control group. Significant moderate to large improvements were observed in the CT group [sprint: standard mean difference (SMD) = 0.92–1.91; jump: SMD = 0.96–1.58; COD: SMD = 0.97–1.49] when compared to control groups. Subgroup analysis were also conducted based on age, duration, and competitive level. The beneficial effects of CT were greater in players <18 vs. ≥18 years (linear sprinting; SMD = 2.01 vs. −0.13), after ≥8 vs. <8 weeks (jumping and COD; SMD = 1.55–2.01 vs. 0.31–0.64, respectively) and among professional vs. amateur players (linear sprinting and with COD; SMD = 1.53–1.58 vs. 0.08–0.63, respectively). In conclusion, regular soccer training programs may be supplemented with CT to improve sprint, jump, and COD performance. A longer duration of CT (≥8 weeks) seems to be optimal in improving the physical abilities of soccer players. Professional players and <18 years players may benefit more from CT program.
Highlights
Soccer is a team sport which requires players to execute several short-duration maximal- and near-maximal physical efforts such as sprinting, jumping, and change(ing) of direction (COD) in order to overcome opponents during play (Stølen et al, 2005; Barnes et al, 2014)
One such combination is termed as complex training (CT) (Fleck and Kontor, 1986), which commonly involves the performance of an exercise set with a high-load resistance training (RT) exercise, followed immediately by the execution of a low-load plyometricpower exercise
The initial search resulted in the retrieval of 1,373 articles and 22 additional articles were extracted through other sources
Summary
Soccer is a team sport which requires players to execute several short-duration maximal- and near-maximal physical efforts such as sprinting, jumping, and change(ing) of direction (COD) in order to overcome opponents during play (Stølen et al, 2005; Barnes et al, 2014). The aforementioned training methods induce neuromuscular adaptations, such as enhanced stretch-shortening cycle function, motor unit recruitment, firing frequency, intra- and intermuscular coordination, and morphological changes (e.g., fiber type or pennation angle), enhancing overall performance (Markovic and Mikulic, 2010; Cormie et al, 2011) Both RT (Marios et al, 2006; Sander et al, 2013; Silva et al, 2015) and PT (Van De Hoef et al, 2019; Ramirez-Campillo et al, 2020a,b) may improve strength and power, respectively, conducting independent training sessions for each method within a congested weekly micro-cycle may be troublesome for players and coaches. Such exercise sequencing stimulates the post-activation potentiation of performance, a phenomenon (Docherty et al, 2004; Hodgson et al, 2005; Carter and Greenwood, 2014; Prieske et al, 2020), that stimulates motor unit recruitment increasing the force producing potential of the utilized musculature within a given movement (Healy and Comyns, 2017)
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