Effects of Biological Age on Athletic Adaptations to Combined Plyometric and Sprint with Change of Direction with Ball Training in Youth Soccer Players.
BIOLOGY 2023;
12:biology12010120. [PMID:
36671812 PMCID:
PMC9855667 DOI:
10.3390/biology12010120]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2022] [Revised: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 01/10/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
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.
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