SHORT-TERM EFFECTS OF PLYOMETRIC TRAINING COMBINED WITH CHANGE OF DIRECTION TRAINING ON POWER, SPEED, AND AGILITY IN YOUTH FEMALE HANDBALL PLAYERS
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Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to investigate the short-term effects of plyometric training combined with change of direction training on power, speed, and agility in youth female handball players.
Method
Sixteen female handball players aged 15–18 years were selected using purposive sampling based on Illinois agility test and divided into two groups of eight participants each. The experimental group (EXT) performed combined plyometric training (PT) and change of direction (COD) training, while the control group (CON) performed PT and COD training separately. Both groups trained twice per week for a duration of four weeks. Pre- and post-training assessments included measurements of peak power (PP), 5- m sprint time (5SP) and 10-m sprint time (10SP), and agility (AG). Data were analyzed using paired samples t-test for within-group comparisons, and independent samples t-test for between-group comparisons. The level of statistical significance was set at 0.05.
Result
Statistical analyses revealed significant (P<0.05) between-group differences after training. The results showed that the EXT group significantly increased agility compared to the CON group (P<0.05). Both the EXT and CON groups showed a significant increase in power, 10-meter sprint time, and agility compared to the pre-test (P<0.05), with the CON group also demonstrating a significant improvement in 5SP (P<0.05).
Conclusion
Combining plyometric training with change of direction training can improve agility more effectively than performing plyometric and change of direction training separately within a 4-week period.
Article Details
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