Soccer performance

This study tests whether a 14-day course of taurine, caffeine, and phosphatidylserine supplements can help professional male football players resist mental fatigue and make better tactical decisions during games. Sixty-two players from two clubs will be randomly assigned to recei…

This trial tests whether adding small-sided games—like 2v2 and 3v3 matches on reduced pitches—to regular training can boost aerobic endurance and passing accuracy in adolescent soccer players. Eighteen male players aged 17-18 will be split into two groups: one doing small-sided g…

This study looked at whether taking astaxanthin, a natural supplement, for four weeks could help soccer players keep up their skills even when tired. Thirty healthy male college soccer players took either astaxanthin or a placebo. After four weeks, they did a very hard exercise r…

This study tested whether guided imagery training—where athletes mentally practice movements—can improve shooting accuracy and psychological skills in adolescent football players. Thirty-two boys aged 12 to 14 were randomly assigned to either receive 15 minutes of guided imagery …

Researchers measure how the knee extensor and flexor muscles generate force at different speeds in male and female competitive football players. Most reference data for this kind of testing comes from male players, and it is unclear whether female players need separate benchmarks…

This trial tests whether velocity-based strength training, which adjusts weights based on movement speed, improves sprint, jump, and endurance more than traditional percentage-based training in young football players. About 58 male players aged 16 to 18 with at least five years o…

This trial tests two once-weekly sprint training programs in male amateur soccer players during the competitive season. One group performs straight 40-meter sprints, while another does soccer-specific sprints with ball work and technical actions. Researchers measure sprint time, …

This study tested whether shorter, more frequent plyometric training sessions (micro-dosed) work as well as traditional longer sessions for improving speed and jumping in elite under-19 soccer players. Twenty-four players from a top youth club followed an 8-week program, with one…

This study looked at 53 male U19 soccer players in Norway to see if functional strength training (like bodyweight and movement-based exercises) or traditional strength training (like weight machines) improves soccer performance more during the off-season. Players did 8 weeks of t…