Effects of different training on lower limb explosive power in youth soccer players: a systematic review and network meta-analysis

TL;DR

This study compares different training methods to improve explosive leg power in young soccer players, finding that combined training is most effective for jumping and sprinting.

Contribution

The study introduces a network meta-analysis comparing five training modes for enhancing lower-limb explosive power in youth soccer players.

Findings

Combined training (CT) was most effective for improving squat and countermovement jump heights.

Optimal power load (OPL) training was most effective for reducing sprint times in 10 m and 30 m sprints.

Younger athletes showed greater improvements in explosive power compared to older adolescents.

Abstract

Football demands high lower-limb explosive power for sprinting and jumping. Traditional youth training often emphasizes aerobic endurance and heavy resistance training, which may not optimally develop such power.

To compare the effects of five different training modes, including optimal power load (OPL), resistance training (RT), high-intensity interval training (HIIT), jump training (JT) and combined training (CT), on the lower limb explosive strength of 12–19 years old adolescent soccer players.

A systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials was conducted, with 29 studies identified from databases such as PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, EBSCO, Cochrane Library, CNKI, WanFang, and VIP. Data were analyzed using Stata 17.0, with effect sizes calculated for 10 m and 30 m sprint times, squat jump (SJ), and countermovement jump (CMJ).

All five training interventions showed statistically significant improvements lower-limb explosive power compared to control training. Network meta-analysis suggested that CT might be the most effective for improving SJ height (MD = 4.86 [95%CI:2.67 to 7.05], P < 0.01, SUCRA = 82.7) and CMJ height (MD = 3.33 [95%CI:2.15 to 4.52], P < 0.01, SUCRA = 65.7), while the conventional meta-analysis suggested that OPL might be the most effective for reducing 10 m sprint time (MD = −1.47 [95%CI: −2.68 to −0.26] and 30 m sprint time (SMD = −2.06 [95%CI: −3.40 to −0.72]). The effects of other interventions such as RT, HIIT, and JT were also significant, but the effects were relatively small. Subgroup analyses suggest that this effect may be most pronounced in younger athletes, with diminishing returns observed in older adolescents.

Combining resistance and plyometric training is likely to be a highly effective strategy to optimize limb explosive power development in youth football players within the training parameters examined. The findings suggest that coaches could consider incorporating CT and OPL into their programs to enhance both sprinting and jumping capabilities. Future research may need to explore the long-term impacts and physiological mechanisms underlying these training effects.

https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD420251249378, Identifier CRD420251249378.

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