In the week one article provided, “Short-term high-intensity plyometric training program
improves strength, power, and agility in male soccer players,” the authors indicate that bilateral
and unilateral exercises during plyometric training that consists of high-impact induce
extraordinary developments in maximal knee strength, lower extremity power, and small
developments in soccer-specific agility (Váczi et al., 2013). The combination of agility, power,
and speed makes athletes great within their sport. In just a short six-week period, plyometric
training has been proven to enhance skills related to the specific sport, including muscle power,
agility, vertical jump, and muscular performance (Váczi et al., 2013). The main purpose of this
study was to see if there was any type of impact during the six-week training program for power
and agility on adult male soccer players. The results of the article provided are valuable because
they could potentially help other athletes improve their abilities.
During this study, twenty-four male soccer players from the Hungarian Third League
were used; these athletes all had at least seven years of training. Out of the twenty-four athletes,
twelve of them were selected to take part in a six-week-long training course that focused on
plyometrics, while the other half remained in the control group. To begin, the study began with a
pre-exercise test in order to determine a baseline for all twenty-four athletes. The post-exercise
test was completed three days after the training concluded, to determine where the athletes’
fitness level now was. Two tests were given to examine the agility of the athletes: the Illinois
agility test and the T agility test. The TAT test measures agility during movements such as
backpedaling, forward sprints, and shuffles (Váczi et al., 2013).
During week one and two, the training began with the preparatory phase. Week three
through five involved training of higher volume. Lastly, the volume decreased during week six
for the athletes. Training happened of Tuesdays and Thursdays for the entire six-week period and
consisted of single-leg high-intensity exercises, with a purpose of increasing agility (Váczi et al.,
2013).
Once the article was fully read, it is evident that plyometric training sessions are logical
for athletes to participate in and the outcomes that occurred are quality. Plyometric training has
been shown to improve the majority of limits in physical fitness and sports. It is important to
note that most meta-analyses include documents that lack a control condition (Kons et al., 2023).
Within this study, twenty-four athletes were used with twelve being in the control group. By
using multiple level athletes, the author was able to demonstrate successful plyometric training.
May it also be noted that studies indicate that six weeks of training is not enough to truly
increase muscular power for athletes (Slimani et al., 2016).
During the post-program test, the athletes that participated in the plyometric training
confirmed the most improvement in depth vertical jump (DVJ) height (9%) (p < 0.05). Those
twelve athletes also showed improvement from pre-to-post-training as the MVC increased (7%).
As for the IAT and TAT, there was a minor improvement found (2.5% and 1.7%) (p < 0.05)
(Váczi et al., 2013). In the control group, those athletes did not show any change from their pre
and posttest.
The author of this study hypothesized that a six-week plyometric training course would in
fact improve the athletes agility, strength, and power. Once the study was completed, the six-
week plyometric training did prove an increase in agility, DVJ, and isometric knee strength
(Váczi et al., 2013). There was a 9% increase in strength for the DVJ (Váczi et al., 2013) for the
twelve athletes that were in the plyometric training group compared to the control group. For the
knee extensor strength, there was a 25% increase in the athletes 1RM squat after seven weeks,
however, the program combined plyometric exercises with strength (Váczi et al., 2013). After
reading the article, the evidence is clear that plyometric training does benefit athletes during in-
season training. If this training is done in-season, it is important to help reduce athlete injuries,
therefore, supported plyometric methods may be used. It has been noted that supported
plyometric methods can be similarly effective as the traditional approach to plyometric training
(Makaruk et al., 2020).
To conclude, the authors were determined to see if a six-week plyometric training
program could improve agility, strength, and power for male soccer players. Half of the athletes
used were included in a control group while the remainder of the athletes joined the plyometric
training program. As for the results, they show that a plyometric training program can indeed
improve agility, isometric knee strength, and DVJ performance. Within the study, it is shown
that there was greatest improvement in DVJ and MVC, with a slight increase for IAT and TAT
(Váczi et al., 2013). There was no change for the twelve athletes that participated in the control
group.
References
Kons RL, Orssatto LBR, Ache-Dias J, De Pauw K, Meeusen R, Trajano GS, Dal Pupo J,
Detanico D. Effects of Plyometric Training on Physical Performance: An Umbrella Review.
Sports Med Open. 2023 Jan 10;9(1):4. doi: 10.1186/s40798-022-00550-8.
Makaruk H, Starzak M, Suchecki B, Czaplicki M, Stojiljković N. The Effects of Assisted
and Resisted Plyometric Training Programs on Vertical Jump Performance in Adults: A
Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. J Sports Sci Med. 2020 May 1;19(2):347-357.
Slimani M, Chamari K, Miarka B, Del Vecchio FB, Chéour F. Effects of Plyometric
Training on Physical Fitness in Team Sport Athletes: A Systematic Review. J Hum Kinet. 2016
Oct 14;53:231- 247. doi: 10.1515/hukin-2016-0026.
Váczi M, Tollár J, Meszler B, Juhász I, Karsai I. Short-term high intensity plyometric
training program improves strength, power, and agility in male soccer players. J Hum Kinet.
2013 Mar 28;36:17-26. doi: 10.2478/hukin-2013-0002.
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