Jump training and mixed training produced different results in young soccer players
A small randomized trial reported greater fitness gains with jump-focused training and greater psychological gains with a broader exercise program.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
The abstract reports that jump-focused training produced larger gains in jumping, sprinting, and changing direction, while mixed neuromuscular training produced larger gains in psychological measures. This suggests that the programs may affect different outcomes. The small trial does not establish an overall best approach or show whether these differences persist beyond the study.
The abstract gives no effect sizes, confidence intervals, or test statistics for the group differences. Its small sample consisted only of pubertal boys playing soccer.
What researchers found
Jump, sprint, and direction-change performance
Plyometric versus neuromuscular training over 8 weeks; the abstract does not quantify between-group differences.
What the programs involved
The mixed program combined balance, strength, jumping, agility, and direction-change exercises. The jump program used landing drills on either one leg or both. Groups trained with equal overall volumes alongside their usual soccer sessions.
Psychological changes
The mixed program showed greater gains in confidence, anxiety regulation, attention, and emotional intelligence. Changes in fitness correlated with changes in psychological measures, but those correlations do not show that physical improvement caused psychological improvement.
The original publication
Effects of neuromuscular versus plyometric training on physical fitness and mental well-being in male pubertal soccer players.
Hammami A, Mahmoudi A, Selmi W et al.
Sci Rep · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 41361237
- Record checked
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