Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of plyometric training on power,
speed and agility improvement of U-17 female football players in Ambo Goal FIFA
Football Academy. The true experimental research design was employed for
conducting this study. The total populations of the study were 27 U-17 female football
players from the Ambo Goal FIFA Football Academy. The populations were small in
numbers; therefore all were taken as a sample by using comprehensive sampling
techniques. These samples were classified into Experimental group (N=14) and
Control group (N=13) by using simple random sampling techniques. The
Experimental group participated in plyometric training for 8 weeks, 3 days per week
and 60 minutes duration per day in addition to their regular training. But, the control
groups were following their only regular training program. The variables selected for
the purpose of this study were power, speed and agility. The tests were vertical jump
test, 30m sprint test and Illinois agility test respectively. Both groups were tested
before (pre-test) and after (post-test) 8 weeks of plyometric training. For data entry
and analysis, SPSS version 26.0 software was employed. The gathered data was
analyzed using a paired sample t-test, mean, and standard deviation to observe the
difference between pre-test and post-test results of subjects of the study. The
significant level p<0.05 was considered. The result of the study shows that after 8
weeks of plyometric training a significant improvement were observed in power
(MD=5.5, P<0.001), in speed (MD=0.47, P<0.001) and in agility (MD=0.58,
P<0.001) for experimental group subjects. However, there was no significant change
(P>0.05) on those variables in control groups. Generally, the finding of study
concludes that eight (8) weeks of plyometric training had a significant effect on
power, speed and agility improvement of football players. Therefore, football coaches
and players are highly recommended to include scientific plyometric training in their
training program.
