Research summary · Youth development
Training combinations for youth football performance
A network review compares training modes for jumping, acceleration, sprinting and planned direction changes in youth football.
- Publication year
- 2026
- First published online
- Publication type
- Systematic review and network meta-analysis
- Journal
- BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation
- Population / context
- Youth football players
What the publication reports
Eighty-nine studies were included, with 74 primary studies contributing to networks. Programmes combining plyometrics with sprint or change-of-direction work produced favourable estimates across several outcomes compared with usual training.
Limits and interpretation
Several nodes and active comparisons were sparse, some networks were inconsistent and certainty was low or very low. Rankings combine direct and indirect evidence and do not define one best programme for every player.
Read the source
Consult the original record for the full author list, methods, references, funding and competing-interest disclosures.
Effects of different training modalities on lower-limb explosive power, acceleration, 20-m sprint performance, and change-of-direction ability in youth soccer players: a systematic review and network meta-analysis
Original publication / indexed recordPMID: 42723104DOI: 10.1186/s13102-026-02041-9Full text at the sourceReader discussion
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