Combined Sprint Interval, Plyometric, and Strength Training in Adolescent Soccer Players

During winter, many soccer players train indoors to improve the aerobic and anaerobic demands of their sport. Sprint interval training (SIT) performed on a treadmill using level and graded conditions represents a viable alternative to traditional endurance conditioning. To date, little research exists contrasting the effects of these conditions. Therefore, the purpose of this investigation …

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The Impact of Nordic Hamstring Exercise and Prevention Programs on Hamstring Injury in Football Players

Objective: To analyze the exercise programs used to prevent acute hamstring injuries in eleven-a-side football players, and their effectiveness.  Methods: A systematic review (PRISMA) was conducted (2008–2020), including RCTs, that exclusively used physical exercises as a prevention method.  Results: Ten studies were selected considering 14 interventions, including nine different programs: FIFA11+ (11+), Harmoknee, eccentric Nordic Hamstring Exercise (NHE) …

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Combined Uphill-Downhill Sprinting Methods and Sprint Performance

Abstract: Background: Two specific sprint training methods that are present to varying degrees in research and practice are combined uphill–downhill sprinting (UDS) and resisted sprint training methods (RS). Both methods seem to improve sprint performance, but to the author’s knowledge a comparison does not exist investigating the differences between the two training protocols and traditional sprinting. …

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When to Use Dynamic Stretching to Improve Sprint Performance

The acute effect of warm-up protocols on athletic performance components has been frequently examined in the literature. The lack of evidence in static stretching studies led researchers to dynamic stretching protocols that simultaneously enhance basic skill level, kinesthetic awareness, range of motion, and core temperature. However, it was not clarified in which part of the …

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How Muscles Maximize Performance in Accelerated Sprinting

We sought to provide a more comprehensive understanding of how the individual leg muscles act synergistically to generate a ground force impulse and maximize the change in forward momentum of the body during accelerated sprinting. We combined musculoskeletal modelling with gait data to simulate the majority of the acceleration phase (19 foot contacts) of a …

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Specificity of Strength Exercises to Improve Acceleration

Abstract: The purpose of the study was to use musculoskeletal modelling to examine the specificity of bounding and loaded countermovement jumps (CMJ) to sprinting acceleration. Ten male participants performed 10 m sprints, continuous bounding, and loaded CMJ’s. A generic OpenSim model was scaled to each individual and used to calculate joint moments, angles and angular …

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Plyometric Training and Performance in Basketball

Abstract: There is a growing body of experimental evidence examining the effects of plyometric jump training (PJT) on physical fitness attributes in basketball players; however, this evidence has not yet been comprehensively and systematically aggregated. Therefore, our objective was to meta-analyze the effects of PJT on physical fitness attributes in basketball players, in comparison to …

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Effects of a Plyometrics Intervention Program on Sprint Performance

To determine the effects of a sprint-specific plyometrics program on sprint performance, an 8-week training study consisting of 15 training sessions was conducted. Twenty-six male subjects completed the training. A plyometrics group (N = 10) performed sprint-specific plyometric exercises, while a sprint group (N = 7) performed sprints. A control group (N = 9) was …

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Activation of the Gluteus Maximus During Performance of the Back Squat, Split Squat, and Barbell Hip Thrust and the Relationship with Maximal Sprinting

The purpose of this research was to compare muscle activation of the gluteus maximus and ground reaction force between the barbell hip thrust, back squat, and split squat and to determine the relationship between these outcomes and vertical and horizontal forces during maximal sprinting.  Twelve, male, team sport athletes (age, 25.0 ± 4.0 years; stature, …

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Effects of 10 Months of Speed, Functional, and Traditional Strength Training on Strength, Linear Sprint, Change of Direction, and Jump Performance in Trained Adolescent Soccer Players 

The current study aimed to compare the effects of plyometric and sprint vs. functional vs. strength training on linear sprint (LS 20 m), change of direction (COD; i.e., turning right and left), jump (squat jump [SJ]), and maximum strength (1 repetition maximum [1RM] for a squat) performance in elite adolescent soccer players. A longitudinal design …

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