Effects of Combined Plyometric and Short Sprints Training on Athletic Performance of Male U19 Soccer Players

Ghaith Aloui; Hermassi Souhail; Lawrence D Hayes; El Ghali Bouhafs; Mohamed Souhaiel Chelly; René Schwesig

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.714016

Effects of Combined Plyometric and Short Sprints Training on Athletic Performance of Male U19 Soccer Players

Front Psychol. 2021 Sep 15:12:714016. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.714016. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Ghaith Aloui¹, Hermassi Souhail², Lawrence D Hayes³, El Ghali Bouhafs⁴, Mohamed Souhaiel Chelly¹, René Schwesig⁵

Affiliations

¹ Research Unit (UR17JS01) "Sport Performance, Health & Society", Higher Institute of Sport and Physical Education of Ksar Saîd, University of La Manouba, Tunis, Tunisia.
² Physical Education Department, College of Education, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar.
³ School of Health and Life Sciences, University of the West of Scotland, Glasgow, United Kingdom.
⁴ Department of Sports Science, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany.
⁵ Department of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany.

Abstract

This project investigated adding 8 weeks of biweekly plyometric and short sprints training into standard training in elite youth soccer players. An experimental group (EG, n = 18, age: 17.6 ± 0.6 years, body mass: 67.6 ± 5.8 kg, height: 1.75 ± 0.06 m, and body fat: 11.5 ± 1.6%) and control group (CG, n = 18, age: 17.5 ± 0.6 years, body mass: 68.8 ± 3.6 kg, height: 1.77 ± 0.04 m, and body fat: 11.7 ± 1.2%) participated. Pre-intervention and post-intervention measures were squat-jump (SJ), countermovement-jump (CMJ), standing long jump (SLJ), 5 and 20 m sprints, 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 (the stork balance test). For all parameters, significant (p < 0.001, $η_{p}^{2}$ > 0.10) time and interaction (group × time) effects were observed. For three parameters (SBF, RCOD fastest time, and SLJ) no significant group effects were observed. The EG consistently showed a significantly higher performance level than the CG and a higher amount of effect sizes d (EG: d _range: 1.27-2.61; CG: d _range: 0.13-0.79) as an indicator for the development of performance between pre-intervention and post-intervention measures. Adding biweekly plyometric and short sprint training to standard training improves the athletic performance of young soccer players. Such plyometric and short sprint training conditioning can be highly recommended as part of the annual short training program for male elite under-19 (U19) soccer players.

Keywords: periodization; plyometric training; soccer training; sprint training; stretch-shortening cycle; team sports.