Effects of plyometric training on quickness, agility and respiratory muscle strength in 14-16 age soccer players

This study examined the effects of plyometric training on agility, speed, and respiratory muscle strength in football players aged 14-16. The research was conducted with the participation of 24 amateur football players, who were divided into two equal groups as experimental and control groups. While both groups followed a basic football training program, the experimental group additionally performed a plyometric training program for 30 minutes, three times a week. The study evaluated participants' basic anthropometric measurements such as height and weight, agility (Illinois Test), respiratory muscle strength, and 30m and 60m sprint test results. The research was structured using a pre-test and post-test model, and the data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics 25.0 software. Two-Way Repeated Measures ANOVA was employed to investigate the effects of time (pre-test and post-test) and group (experimental and control) factors, with a significance level set at p < 0.05. Effect sizes were reported using Partial Eta Squared (η²) for significant results. The findings revealed significant improvements in agility, speed, and respiratory muscle strength in the experimental group. Although the control group also demonstrated some improvements, the increases in the experimental group were more pronounced. However, the differences between the groups were not statistically significant. This result may be attributed to the limited duration of the training and the small sample size. This study suggests that plyometric training can be an effective method for enhancing the performance of young football players. Future research involving longer durations and larger sample sizes could better elucidate the effects of plyometric training. The findings indicate that plyometric exercises could be considered an effective strategy for optimizing athletic performance. While a significant difference was found in agility and dynamic balance right foot skills in football, a significant difference was observed in sit-reach, dynamic balance right and left feet in gymnastics.