Comparison of plyometric repeated sprint and plyometric aerobic training on physical performance in youth soccer players

Mohamed Amin Selmi; Raouf Hammami; Halil İbrahim Ceylan; Michael Duncan; Radhouane Haj Sassi; Ryland Morgans; Serdar Bayrakdaroğlu; Nicola Luigi Bragazzi

doi:10.1038/s41598-026-37000-4

Comparison of plyometric repeated sprint and plyometric aerobic training on physical performance in youth soccer players

Mohamed Amin Selmi
, Raouf Hammami
, Halil İbrahim Ceylan
, Michael Duncan
, Radhouane Haj Sassi
, Ryland Morgans
, Serdar Bayrakdaroğlu
, Nicola Luigi Bragazzi

Université de la Manouba
National Center of Medicine and Science in Sports (CNMSS)
Atatürk University
Sultan Qaboos University
Cardiff Metropolitan University
Gümüşhane University
York University
Università di Parma

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Abstract

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) and repeated-sprint sets (RSS) are established conditioning methods in soccer, yet their integration with plyometric training among highly trained youth soccer players remains underexplored. This study investigated the effects of an 8-week program combining plyometric training with either RSS (PLYO-RSS) or HIIT (PLYO-HIIT) on physical fitness in young soccer players. Twenty-nine male players (14-15 years) were randomly assigned to PLYO-RSS (n = 14) or PLYO-HIIT (n = 15). Both interventions lasted 20 minutes per session and replaced part of regular soccer training. Physical fitness assessments included countermovement jump (CMJ), 15-s repeated vertical jumps (15''RJ), five-jump test (5JT), 10 m and 30 m sprint, maximal aerobic speed (MAS), VO2max, and repeated sprint performance (total sprint time, best sprint, fatigue index). Physiological markers (lactate, rating of perceived exertion, and HRmax) were also monitored. Significant improvements over time were observed in muscle power, sprint speed, aerobic capacity, and repeated-sprint ability (p ≤ 0.001; η²p = 0.339-0.489). However, no main effects or group × time interaction effects were observed, indicating no evidence of differential responses between the two training modes. In conclusion, integrating plyometric training with either RSS or HIIT effectively enhances physical fitness in highly trained youth soccer players, offering flexible options for training prescription. [Abstract copyright: © 2026. The Author(s).]

Original language	English
Article number	6982
Number of pages	12
Journal	Scientific Reports
Volume	16
Issue number	1
Early online date	31 Jan 2026
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-37000-4
Publication status	E-pub ahead of print - 31 Jan 2026

Bibliographical note

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, which permits any non-commercial use, sharing, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if you modified the licensed material. You do not have permission under this licence to share adapted material derived from this article or parts of it. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material.

Keywords

Elite
Football
Muscle power
Combination modality
High intensity
Young

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s41598-026-37000-4Final published version, 1.67 MBLicence: CC BY

Cite this

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title = "Comparison of plyometric repeated sprint and plyometric aerobic training on physical performance in youth soccer players",

abstract = "High-intensity interval training (HIIT) and repeated-sprint sets (RSS) are established conditioning methods in soccer, yet their integration with plyometric training among highly trained youth soccer players remains underexplored. This study investigated the effects of an 8-week program combining plyometric training with either RSS (PLYO-RSS) or HIIT (PLYO-HIIT) on physical fitness in young soccer players. Twenty-nine male players (14-15 years) were randomly assigned to PLYO-RSS (n = 14) or PLYO-HIIT (n = 15). Both interventions lasted 20 minutes per session and replaced part of regular soccer training. Physical fitness assessments included countermovement jump (CMJ), 15-s repeated vertical jumps (15''RJ), five-jump test (5JT), 10 m and 30 m sprint, maximal aerobic speed (MAS), VO2max, and repeated sprint performance (total sprint time, best sprint, fatigue index). Physiological markers (lactate, rating of perceived exertion, and HRmax) were also monitored. Significant improvements over time were observed in muscle power, sprint speed, aerobic capacity, and repeated-sprint ability (p ≤ 0.001; η²p = 0.339-0.489). However, no main effects or group × time interaction effects were observed, indicating no evidence of differential responses between the two training modes. In conclusion, integrating plyometric training with either RSS or HIIT effectively enhances physical fitness in highly trained youth soccer players, offering flexible options for training prescription. [Abstract copyright: {\textcopyright} 2026. The Author(s).]",

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N2 - High-intensity interval training (HIIT) and repeated-sprint sets (RSS) are established conditioning methods in soccer, yet their integration with plyometric training among highly trained youth soccer players remains underexplored. This study investigated the effects of an 8-week program combining plyometric training with either RSS (PLYO-RSS) or HIIT (PLYO-HIIT) on physical fitness in young soccer players. Twenty-nine male players (14-15 years) were randomly assigned to PLYO-RSS (n = 14) or PLYO-HIIT (n = 15). Both interventions lasted 20 minutes per session and replaced part of regular soccer training. Physical fitness assessments included countermovement jump (CMJ), 15-s repeated vertical jumps (15''RJ), five-jump test (5JT), 10 m and 30 m sprint, maximal aerobic speed (MAS), VO2max, and repeated sprint performance (total sprint time, best sprint, fatigue index). Physiological markers (lactate, rating of perceived exertion, and HRmax) were also monitored. Significant improvements over time were observed in muscle power, sprint speed, aerobic capacity, and repeated-sprint ability (p ≤ 0.001; η²p = 0.339-0.489). However, no main effects or group × time interaction effects were observed, indicating no evidence of differential responses between the two training modes. In conclusion, integrating plyometric training with either RSS or HIIT effectively enhances physical fitness in highly trained youth soccer players, offering flexible options for training prescription. [Abstract copyright: © 2026. The Author(s).]

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ER -

Comparison of plyometric repeated sprint and plyometric aerobic training on physical performance in youth soccer players

Abstract

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Keywords

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