Examining the effects of 4-week jump rope and plyometric training combined with small-sided games on performance responses

The combination of small-sided games and jump training exercises is widely used to improve various performance factors in athletes. This study is a research conducted on young amateur female volleyball players to determine which performance characteristics are enhanced by combining small-sided games with jump rope and plyometric training in volleyball, as well as to examine whether jump rope training can be an alternative to plyometric training. A total of 16 volunteer athletes participated in the study, with 8 participants assigned to the jump rope group and 8 participants assigned to the plyometric training group. Before the study, all participants pre-test values for speed, agility, balance, vertical jump, reactive strength index, hamstring/quadriceps ratio, isokinetic knee joint measurements (at 60°s⁻¹ and 180°s⁻¹), and ankle strength (at 30°s⁻¹ and 120°s⁻¹) were determined through the necessary measurements. Both groups participated in small-sided games twice a week. The first group engaged in jump rope training in addition to small-sided games for 4 weeks, twice a week. The second group participated in plyometric training during the same duration and schedule. Following the 4-week period, all participants' aforementioned values were re-evaluated through post-test measurements. Due to the normal distribution of all variables, a mixed ANOVA test was conducted. When comparing the initial and final test measurements of all participants, significant improvements were observed in speed, agility, balance, vertical jump, hamstring/quadriceps ratio, and some isokinetic strength data, except for the reactive strength index (p<0.05). Upon examining the measurements between groups, it was found that the effect on performance values among participants was significantly different across all measurement parameters (p<0.05). In conclusion, jump rope and plyometric training contributed positively to certain performance factors of the participants, albeit to varying degrees. Based on the obtained results, jump rope training has been identified as an alternative to plyometric training.