Effects of Biological Age on Athletic Adaptations to Combined Plyometric and Sprint with Change of Direction with Ball Training in Youth Soccer Players

Simple Summary The combination of plyometric and sprint with change of direction (COD) training was shown to be more attractive and effective in eliciting greater developments in youth soccer fitness than a single training regime (e.g., plyometric protocol). However, the evidence is not well-known regarding the in-season effects of biological age (peak height velocity-PHV) on motor adaptive processes following combined plyometric and COD with ball training (P-CODBT) in youth soccer players. Thus, this study aimed to examine the effects of a short combined plyometric and CODB training protocol (8 weeks and twice a week) on some measures of athletic performances of male youth soccer players, circa- and post-PHV, within the competitive season. The data showed that the experimental condition induced significant additional gains only on explosive measures compared to the control condition. The data showed that a short-term P-CODB (two sessions per week) can be a safe strategy and induce meaningful benefits in the explosive performances (i.e., speed with and without a ball, jump, and COD with and without a ball) of youth soccer players during the season period. Therefore, coaches and practitioners can integrate the protocols proposed in this study into their training weekly routines as part of well-structured warm-up before specific soccer training. Since training programs should incorporate drills that closely resemble competition motions, the use of P-CODBT may be a suitable and alternative strategy to improve both the athletic and technical abilities of youth soccer players. However, the improvements generated by P-CODBT were not affected by biological age. There is evidence for the effectiveness of youth combined plyometric and sprint with change of direction (COD) training. However, the evidence is not well-known regarding the in-season effects of biological age (peak height velocity-PHV) on the motor adaptive processes following combined plyometric and COD with ball training (P-CODBT) in youth soccer players. This study aimed to examine the in-season effects of P-CODBT (8 weeks and twice a week) on the athletic performances of male youth soccer players, circa- and post-PHV. In a randomized controlled training study with pre-to-post measurements, forty-eight male players were assigned into two experimental (performing P-CODBT; n = 12 x circa-PHV and n = 12 x post-PHV) and two control groups (CONG; n = 12 x circa-PHV and n = 12 x post-PHV). The pre- and post-training participants were assessed for their anthropometric, linear sprinting with and without a ball, COD speed with and without a ball, vertical jump, dynamic balance, and endurance-intensive performances. After the intervention, the experimental condition induced significant (all p < 0.0001) and small to large effect size (ES = 0.263-3.471) additional gains only on explosive measures compared to CONG. Both the experimental (all p < 0.0001; ES = 0.338-1.908) and control (p = 0.011-0.0001; ES = 0.2-1.8) groups improved their athletic performances over the training period. The improvements generated by p-CODBT were not affected by biological age. In-season short-term P-CODBT (twice a week) could be safe way to generate benefits in explosive performances in youth soccer players, which are relevant components of match-winning actions in soccer.