Effects of a soccer training program on physical fitness in young players

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to analyze the effects of a soccer training program on physical fitness among young soccer players. The sample was composed of 44 subjects, who were divided into two groups: Experimental Group (EG) of 25 football players (14.44 ± 1.19 years old, 53.88 ± 10.81 kg mass; 163.60 ± 8, 15 cm of height, 5.08 ± 1.18 years of experience) and a control group (CG) of 19 students who did not perform physical activity, apart from physical education during school classes (16.89 ± 0.45 years old 66.83 ± 10.62 kg mass, 171, 36 ± 7.01 cm of height). There was carried out two assessments, before and after the training program, which lasts 8 weeks, and both of them where done by the same protocol testing: speed of 30 m, hamstring flexibility, explosive lower body strength, hand grip test and maximal oxygen consumption. The results show that the load of training is according to these ages, improving fitness with the training. However, there are not important differences between groups, so there might be interesting to develop a detailed planning on physical fitness in order to improve in a specific sport such as soccer.