THE EFFECT OF IN-SEASON SHORT-TERM PROGRESSIVE PLYOMETRIC TRAINING ON EXPLOSIVE ACTIONS OF YOUNG SOCCER PLAYERS

Resumo

This study aimed to investigate the effect of 8 weeks of plyometric training on jumping, speed and change of direction speed (CoD) abilities of young soccer players. The training was applied twice a week, following a linear periodization model, with progressive increment in training volume [total volume per session: 45 to 88 foot contacts]. Eighteen young male soccer players (15.6 ± 0.5 years old, 1.77 ± 5.4 m tall, 65.8 ± 7.6 kg body weight) participated in the study and were randomly divided into two groups: (i) plyometric training group (PlyoG; n = 10); (ii) control group (CG; n = 8). The performance during the tasks of: (i) vertical jumps [Squat Jump (SJ) and Countermovement Jump (CMJ)]; (ii) velocity at 10-m and 20-m; (iii) CoD (Illinois Agility Run Test) was evaluated before (PRE), at week 4 (MID) and at the end of training (POS). After 8 weeks, a significant time*group interaction was observed for all studied variables (P <0.05). The PlyoG significantly increased jump heigth (SJ: + 11.3%, P <0.001, CMJ: + 11.2%, P <0.0001), decreased the time at 10-m and 20-m (P <0.05) and in the agility test (-8.11%, P <0.0001). After 4 weeks of training, it was already possible to observed significant performance changes in jumping, sprinting and CoD tasks (improvements between 4.01% and 6.27%). In CG, no performance changes were observed during the 8 weeks of training. This study allowed us to conclude that a progressive plyometric training induces significant improvements in explosive action that are fundamental to soccer success. In addition, it was possible to include plyometrics training in normal training sessions without the need to increase the time or number of training sessions. This aspect is of particular relevance during the competitive season.