Effects of a combined technique and agility program on youth soccer players’ skills

Abstract

High-intensity actions with high technical demands heavily influence soccer game outcomes. While performance factors have been traditionally trained separately, a program combining agility and technique training was proposed, structured on artificial constraints (tapes) creating spatiotemporal restrictions.

This repeated-measures study involved an experimental and a control group: 20 Under-12 sub-elite male soccer players were tested before and after a 22-weeks differentiated training intervention or the traditional training schedule.

The proposed program produced higher performance improvements, compared to traditional training, in the Shuttle Sprint Test (two-way analysis of variance, factors: Group and Time, significant Group × Time interaction, P < 0.05) and in the Loughborough Soccer Passing Test execution time (−4.8%, P < 0.05). Both groups improved Slalom Dribbling Test performance (P < 0.001).

We concluded that the proposed program could enhance performance in 180° change-of-direction and in the time to complete a controlling and passing dynamic task.

The methodological implications of this study could be beneficial in improving youth soccer training effectiveness.