Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Jun 15;10(12):e33063.
doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e33063. eCollection 2024 Jun 30.

Maturation-specific enhancements in lower extremity explosive strength following plyometric training in adolescent soccer players: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Lunxin Chen  1 , Ruixiang Yan  1 , Lin Xie  1 , Zhiyong Zhang  1 , Wenfeng Zhang  2 , Hengtong Wang  2
Affiliations

Maturation-specific enhancements in lower extremity explosive strength following plyometric training in adolescent soccer players: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Lunxin Chen et al. Heliyon. .

Abstract

Background: For adolescent soccer players, good sprinting and jumping abilities are crucial for their athletic performance. The application of plyometric training on boosting explosive strength in adolescent soccer players is contingent upon the maturation phase, which can mediate the training-induced adaptations.

Purpose: This systematic review and meta-analysis aim to explore the maturation effect of plyometric training on the lower limb explosive power of adolescent soccer players, with vertical countermovement jump (CMJ) and 20-m sprint as the main outcome indicators.

Methods: An extensive search of the literature was carried out on various databases including PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, ProQuest, and the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), covering the time period from the establishment of each database to February 6, 2023. The search was conducted using English keywords such as 'Plyometric,' 'Adolescent,' 'football,' and 'Explosive strength.' This study utilized the Cochrane risk of bias assessment tool to conduct a standardized quality evaluation of all the included literature. Additionally, the Review Manager 5.4 software was employed to perform data analysis on all the extracted data.

Results: A total of 17 studies involving 681 adolescent soccer players aged 10 to 19 were included. Plyometric training significantly improved CMJ performance across different maturation stages, especially in the post-peak height velocity stage (POST-PHV) [MD = 4.35, 95 % CI (2.11, 6.59), P < 0.01, I2 = 60 %]. The pre-peak height velocity stage (PRE-PHV) showed the next best improvement [MD = 3.00, 95 % CI (1.63, 4.37)], while the middle-peak height velocity stage (MID-PHV) showed the least improvement [MD = 2.79, 95 % CI (1.16, 4.41), P < 0.01, I2 = 49 %]. However, improvements in 20 m sprint ability were only observed in the PRE-PHV [MD = -0.06, 95 % CI (-0.12, 0), P < 0.01, I2 = 0 %] and MID-PHV [MD = -0.18, 95 % CI (-0.27, -0.08), P < 0.01, I2 = 0 %] stages.

Conclusion: Plyometric training serves as a potent strategy for boosting the lower limb explosive strength of adolescent soccer players, and the training effect is closely related to the players' biological maturity. Considering biological maturity is a key aspect that this study deems essential for the formulation of effective training programs for these adolescent players.

Keywords: Explosive strength; Maturation; Plyometric training; Soccer player.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Hengtong Wang reports financial support was provided by Guangzhou Sport University. If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flowchart of the inclusion and exclusion criteria following PRISMA standards.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Assessments of risk-of-bias aspects within each study, with the prevalence of each bias item depicted as a percentage among all studies.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Visual representation of CMJ results based on a forest plot analysis.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Visual representation of 20-m sprint results based on a forest plot analysis.
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Visual presentation of publication bias for CMJ and 20-m sprint indicators in included studies.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Malina R.M., Reyes M.P., Eisenmann J., et al. Height, mass and skeletal maturity of elite Portuguese soccer players aged 11–16 years. J. Sports Sci. 2000;18(9):685–693. - PubMed
    1. Reilly T., Bangsbo J., Franks A. Anthropometric and physiological predispositions for elite soccer. J. Sports Sci. 2000;18(9):669–683. - PubMed
    1. Malina R.M., Eisenmann J.C., Cumming S.P., et al. Maturity-associated variation in the growth and functional capacities of youth football (soccer) players 13–15 years. Eur. J. Appl. Physiol. 2004;91:555–562. - PubMed
    1. Pavillon T., Tourny C., Aabderrahman A.B., et al. Sprint and jump performances in highly trained young soccer players of different chronological age: effects of linear VS. CHANGE–OF–DIRECTION sprint training. Journal of Exercise Science and Fitness. 2021;19(2):81–90. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bangsbo J., Mohr M., Krustrup P. Physical and metabolic demands of training and match-play in the elite football player. J. Sports Sci. 2006;24(7):665–674. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources