THE EFFECT OF 12-WEEK PLYOMETRIC TRAINING PROGRAM ON ANAEROBIC POWER, SPEED, FLEXIBILITY AND AGILITY FOR ADOLESCENT FOOTBALL PLAYERS

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of 12-week plyometric training program on anaerobic power, speed, flexibility and agility for adolescent football players. Methods: 35 football players, 15 of which were in the experimental group and 20 of them were in the control group, participated in the study. Plyometric exercise and technical training have been carried out for the experimental group two days in a week during 12 weeks and only technical training has been implemented for the control group two days in a week. Before and after the exercise program of the experimental subjects, body mass index, anaerobic power, flexibility, 30 m speed, horizontal jump, hexagonal barrier and zig-zag test have been measured. Paired-samples t –test has been used to compare the pretest and posttest values of the experimental subjects and Independent Samples t-test has been used for intergroup comparison. Results: When pretest and posttest values of the experimental group have been compared at the end of the study, a significant difference has been found in anaerobic power, flexibility, 30 m speed, horizontal jump, hexagonal barrier and zig-zag test values (p˂0,01, p˂0,05). In view of the posttest values in intergroup evaluation a significant increase has been found in horizontal jump and anaerobic power (p˂0,01, p˂0,05). Conclusions: It can be stated according to the findings of the study that the 12-week plyometric training program has a positive effect on speed, flexibility, agility and anaerobic power in view of performance