Short bursts vs. long sprints: which training wins for soccer speed?
NCT ID NCT07193706
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
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 group doing two 40-minute sessions per week and the other doing three to four 20-minute sessions. Both groups did the same total weekly training volume. The goal is to help coaches decide if micro-dosed training is a good alternative during busy pre-season periods.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- plyometric training programs (behavioral intervention)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could show that shorter, more frequent training sessions are as effective as longer ones, offering coaches a flexible way to improve player performance.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, completed trial with only 24 elite players, so results may not apply to other athletes or levels. The study compares two training styles, not a new treatment.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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24 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Jul 2024
- Finished
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Sep 2024
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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17 to 19 years
- Sex
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Male participants only
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Active membership in a U19 elite soccer club during the intervention. * Medical fitness to participate in plyometric training and testing. * Attendance at ≥75% of training sessions. * Completion of all mandatory pre- and post-tests. * Previous experience with plyometric training and testing procedures. Exclusion Criteria: * Medical limitations preventing safe participation in training or testing. * Attendance lower than 75% of scheduled intervention sessions. * Failure to complete mandatory baseline or follow-up testing. * Injury preventing completion of the intervention.
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As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Masaryk University
Brno, Czechia
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