Improving Sprint Performance in Soccer: Effectiveness of Jump Squat and Olympic Push Press Exercises

Abstract

Training at the optimum power load (OPL) is an effective way to improve neuromuscular abilities of highly trained athletes. The purpose of this study was to test the effects of training using the jump squat (JS) or Olympic push-press (OPP) exercises at the OPL during a short-term preseason on speed-power related abilities in high-level under-20 soccer players. The players were divided into two training groups: JS group (JSG) and OPP group (OPPG). Both groups undertook 12 power-oriented sessions, using solely JS or OPP exercises. Pre- and post-6 weeks of training, athletes performed squat jump (SJ), countermovement jump (CMJ), sprinting speed (5, 10, 20 and 30 m), change of direction (COD) and speed tests. To calculate the transfer effect coefficient (TEC) between JS and MPP OPP and the speed in 5, 10, 20, and 30 m, the ratio between the result gain (effect size [ES]) in the untrained exercise and result gain in the trained exercise was calculated. Magnitude based inference and ES were used to test the meaningful effects. The TEC between JS and VEL 5, 10, 20, and 30 m ranged from 0.77 to 1.29, while the only TEC which could be calculated between OPP and VEL 5 was rather low (0.2). In addition, the training effects of JS on jumping and speed related abilities were superior (ES ranging from small to large) to those caused by OPP (trivial ES). To conclude, the JS exercise is superior to the OPP for improving speed-power abilities in elite young soccer players.

Changes in the Level of Motor Preparation of Professional Soccer Players in Training

“…Changes in the level of power during the preparatory period among the Radom players were negligible, and similar observations were noted during the preparation period in Brazilian players [39]. The results of both studies may indicate that there is little chance of developing muscle power in the preparation of a football team for league competitions.…”

Jump-Squat and Half-Squat Exercises: Selective Influences on Speed-Power Performance of Elite Rugby Sevens Players

“…In this regard, several studies have confirmed the chronic effectiveness of JS on improving sports performance [23,35,36]. Remarkably, it seems that these positive effects are independent of the “JS loading condition/variation”, although this parameter may provoke specific/distinct adaptations in the force-velocity curve.…”

“…Therefore, JS is suggested to better discriminate between players with higher and lower sprint, and COD and jumping abilities than HS, and possibly training using JS would be more effective than training using HS for improving performance in rugby sevens players. Because of the well-established strong relationship between JS MPP and specific performance in different sports [16,17,19,45,46] and the effectiveness of JS training in improving jumping and sprinting capacities [13,23,35,36], this exercise has been incorporated in assessments and training routines by elite athletes. To our knowledge, this is the first study to show that JS relates more closely to functional task performances than HS using the median split technique.…”

Specific Adaptations in Performance and Muscle Architecture After Weighted Jump-Squat vs. Body Mass Squat Jump Training in Recreational Soccer Players

“…Jump-squat has been shown to improve jump height (17,25,38), as well as sprint performance (15,16,38). However, since the increased role of change of direction (COD) in soccer (8), the effects of jump-squat training on COD were only recently investigated, reporting improvements in COD after jump-squat training only (26,27), or jump-squat added to a traditional strength training program (23). Importantly, jump-squat training was shown to improve physical ability in soccer players in pre-season (27) and to counteract the decrease in speed and power performance due to the high endurance training load the players undergo before the season begins (28).…”