Effect of plyometric training on improving vertical jump in female footballers (14-17 years old)

Abstract

Plyometric training (PT) is a very popular form of physical conditioning for healthy individuals that have been extensively studied over the last decades. The study aimed to determine the effect of PT on improving vertical jump (VJ) in female footballers (14-17 years old). The study adopted a pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design. The study population was the female football players of the National Women's Football League in Algeria (LNFF). Twenty-two players were drawn from the study population (age=15.10±0.47 years, height=152.01±5.80 cm, weight=49.51±6.09 kg). The sample was divided into a control group (CG) and an experimental group (EG). Eleven players per group. The training program was made for the participants and the exercise training was supervised by the researchers. The PT exercises for the EG in which each exercise session involved 15±3 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise for the first four weeks and gradually increased to high-intensity exercises for the last six weeks. The PT was carried out for 10 weeks. Subjects were trained three times a week. A squat jump (SJ) and a counter-movement jump (CMJ) were used for data collection. Data were analyzed using mean and standard deviation, the paired t-test was used to compare pre-test and post-test data. The results marked improvements in VJ after the 10-week PT as significant gains were noticed in the post-test for EG on SJ t= 8.35, p< 0.05, CMJ t=5.70, p