Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 6, 2026
10:08
Effects of a Novel Neuromuscular Training Intervention on Jump, Sprint, and Change of Direction in Adult Female Soccer Players
Published on: June 10, 2025
Soccer Players' Physical Performance After Loaded Plyometric-Jump Training: A Systematic Review
Miguel Alarcón-Rivera1,2, Joaquín Salazar-Méndez1, Eduardo Guzmán-Muñoz3,4
1School of Sports Sciences and Physical Activity, Faculty of Health, Universidad Santo Tomás, Talca 3460000, Chile.
Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology
|July 24, 2026
Summary
Loaded plyometric-jump training (LPJT) may offer benefits for soccer players, but current evidence is uncertain. Further research is needed to confirm if LPJT is superior to unloaded plyometric-jump training (UPJT).
Area of Science:
- Sports Science
- Exercise Physiology
- Biomechanics
Background:
- Soccer performance relies on explosive power and agility.
- Plyometric training enhances athletic capabilities.
- Loaded plyometric-jump training (LPJT) is a potential method to improve performance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review the effects of LPJT on soccer players' physical performance.
- To compare LPJT with unloaded plyometric-jump training (UPJT) and passive controls.
Main Methods:
- Systematic search of major databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Embase).
- Inclusion of randomized controlled trials (RCTs).
- Assessment of study quality, risk of bias, and certainty of evidence using PEDro, RoB 2, and GRADE.
Main Results:
- Six RCTs with 214 soccer players were included.
- LPJT showed favorable changes in horizontal jump and some strength/power variables.
- Comparable improvements were observed with UPJT in vertical jump, sprint, agility, and soccer-specific skills.
Conclusions:
- Current evidence is highly uncertain, precluding firm conclusions on LPJT superiority.
- LPJT can be considered an alternative to UPJT, not demonstrably superior.
- Further high-quality RCTs are necessary to clarify LPJT's added benefits due to limited evidence and methodological concerns.
Related Concept Videos
01:27Exercise and Muscle Performance
Exercise induces a range of adaptations in muscle tissue, depending on the type and duration of activity. Such physical training can be broadly categorized into two types: endurance exercises and resistance exercises.
Endurance exercises
Endurance exercises involve running, swimming, or cycling, which require repetitive movements with low force output. When a person engages in endurance exercise, a few noticeable changes occur in their skeletal muscles. For instance, the number of capillaries...
Endurance exercises
Endurance exercises involve running, swimming, or cycling, which require repetitive movements with low force output. When a person engages in endurance exercise, a few noticeable changes occur in their skeletal muscles. For instance, the number of capillaries...
01:25Long-term Potentiation
Long-term potentiation, or LTP, is one of the ways by which synaptic plasticity—changes in the strength of chemical synapses—can occur in the brain. LTP is the process of synaptic strengthening that occurs over time between pre and postsynaptic neuronal connections. The synaptic strengthening of LTP works in opposition to the synaptic weakening of long-term depression (LTD) and together are the main mechanisms that underlie learning and memory.
Hebbian LTP
LTP can occur when presynaptic neurons...
Hebbian LTP
LTP can occur when presynaptic neurons...
01:35Long-term Potentiation
Long-term potentiation, or LTP, is one of the ways by which synaptic plasticity—changes in the strength of chemical synapses—can occur in the brain. LTP is the process of synaptic strengthening that occurs over time between pre- and postsynaptic neuronal connections. The synaptic strengthening of LTP works in opposition to the synaptic weakening of long-term depression (LTD) and together are the main mechanisms that underlie learning and memory.