Eskandar Taheri, Asghar Nikseresht and Ebrahim Khoshnam
The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of plyometric and resistance training on agility, speed and explosive power in soccer players. 30 male soccer players who aged 18-25 voluntarily participated in the study. They were randomly assigned in plyometric (n=15) and resistance (n=15) groups. Both groups performed selected soccer-specified plyometric and resistance training for 8 weeks. Data was analyzed using paired t-test, independent t-test, and covariance statistical methods. The results showed that levels of agility, speed, and explosive power in plyometric training group (p=0.0001), and agility and explosive power in resistance training group (p=0.0001) were significantly improved in post-test compared to pre-test. Between-groups comparison showed better records in agility, speed and explosive power for plyometric compared with resistance training group after eight weeks (respectively p=0.032, p=0.0001 and p=0.002). According to the results, it can be concluded that both plyometric and resistance training exercises increase agility and explosive power and reduce sprint time in football players. Plyometric exercises also showed more favorable effects on study variables compared with resistance exercises. Therefore, these types of training methods are suggested to soccer players and coaches for improving speed and performance skill.
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