Abstract
Soccer is an intermittent sport where high-intensity actions such as sprints, jumps, and change of direction (COD) can become determining factors of success. Strength and speed are essential physical qualities related to an athlete's COD ability. The influence of strength and speed training on COD performance has been examined in various sports. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of a combined strength and speed training program on COD performance in high-performance junior soccer players. The study was a randomized crossover trial designed to determine whether there is a difference in the COD test performance after treatment of strength and speed training. Eighteen soccer players were recruited from the same team and randomly assigned to two experimental groups and a control group. The players were evaluated in four various tests, the Illinois Agility Test, 30 meters speed test, 30 meters speed with a change of direction Test and, the 5RM submaximal strength Test. Four 2(Test) x 3(groups) ANOVAs with Tukey posthoc test were performed to detect any statistically significant differences between and within the training groups. An alpha-level of <0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. This study did not find significant improvements in the performance of the studied qualities speed (linear and COD) and, nor an increase in the strength test's performance linked to the treatment used at the end of the six weeks of combined treatment of strength and speed. Strength plus speed training can be used to improve strength during the competitive season.
Highlights
Due to its organized structure and professionalism, soccer has been the focus of much research, which has led to an in-depth understanding of the essential physical qualities such as strength and speed that underpin performance in the sport (Hammami et al, 2018)
This study was proposed to examine the effect of strength training combined with two types of sprints, one linear and one with a change of direction, on an agility test's performance
Our hypothesis indicated that the experimental group with change of direction (COD) would improve in the specific speed test and that the linear group would improve in the same way in its particular test
Summary
Due to its organized structure and professionalism, soccer has been the focus of much research, which has led to an in-depth understanding of the essential physical qualities such as strength and speed that underpin performance in the sport (Hammami et al, 2018). Strength and speed are important for executing many soccer-specific movements such as sprinting, changing direction, and contesting for the ball's possession. Soccer is an intermittent sport where high-intensity actions such as sprints, jumps, and change of direction (COD) can become determining factors of success (Di Salvo et al, 2007), both in adult and junior soccer players (Castagna et al, 2003; Reilly et al, 2000). Strength and speed are essential physical characteristics for soccer players. High-intensity actions such as sprints, counterattacks, and COD account for the total distance covered in both junior and elite competition (Hammami et al, 2018) that require speed characteristics to perform
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