Abstract
This study aimed to examine the effects of short-term detraining on the strength, speed, and jump capacities of under-20 soccer players. Twenty-four elite under-20 soccer players from the same professional club were assessed pre and post 26 days of detraining. The measurements were performed in the following order: countermovement jump (CMJ); 10 m linear sprint velocity; and one-repetition maximum test (1RM) in the horizontal leg-press exercise. To analyze the differences between pre- and post-tests, a paired T-test was applied. The significance level was set as p < 0.05. Soccer players exhibited a significant increase in CMJ performance (p = 0.02) and no significant differences in 10 m sprint velocity and 1RM leg-press were found after the short-term training cessation (p = 0.61; p = 0.55, respectively). We demonstrated that a short-term detraining period was capable of promoting a significant increase in the vertical jump height without inducing negative effects on the strength and speed capabilities of elite under-20 soccer players. Practitioners and sport scientists should be aware of these findings to program more effective training strategies at the beginning of the subsequent training cycle.
Highlights
One of the greatest challenges for coaches is planning and organizing successful training periodization programs for professional athletes
The significance level was set as p < 0.05
No significant differences were found after 26 days of detraining for 10 m sprint velocity (Pre: 5.66 ± 0.40 m·s−1 ; Post: 5.64 ± 0.39 m·s−1 ; p = 0.61, effect sizes (ES) = 0.03, Figure 2) and 1RM leg-press (Pre: 166.8 ± 9.2 kg; Post: 167.4 ± 10.2 kg; p = 0.55, ES = 0.06, Figure 3)
Summary
One of the greatest challenges for coaches is planning and organizing successful training periodization programs for professional athletes. The organization of training content using distinct training phases is critical to the appropriate development of physical abilities designed to impact competitive performance [1,2,3]. Close to competitions, coaches usually emphasize the development of speed- and power-related qualities, during the so-called “specific preparation phase” [4,5,6]. Several studies have examined the effects of training organization on sports performance, less attention has been given to a phase that athletes inevitably face at least one time per season: the detraining period.
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