Effects of combined plyometric, strength and running technique training program on change-of-direction and countermovement jump: A two-armed parallel study design on young soccer players Martín Moya, Ricardo Silva, Ana Filipa Clemente, Filipe Manuel González Fernández, Francisco Tomás Football Vertical jump Team sports Sprint Performance Context and objective: Players must be capable to have a good change-of-direction (COD) skill aiming to be the fastest as possible to react immediately to the opponent or even to help players to be more agile since COD is a physical determinant of agility. Thus, the aim of this study was to test the effects of a six-week combined training intervention in the COD and countermovement jump (CMJ) of young soccer players, while comparing with a control group only performing the regular field-based training sessions.Methods: A sample of 80 non-professional players (40 experimental group and 40 control group) between the ages of ten and twelve was taken [(Age: 10.70 & PLUSMN; 1.02)]. The tests that were carried out from the beginning to the end of the intervention were: CMJ test, 505COD Test and Illinois Test. Paired sample t-test was used for determining differences as a repeated measures analysis (pre- post). An ANCOVA test was performed using the pretest as a covariate and the times pre and post as factors.Results and conclusions: Repeated measures ANCOVA revealed significant influence of baseline level on the 5-0-5 COD (p = 0.001; r/2p=0.170), the Illinois (p = 0.018; r/2p=0.070) and the CMJ (p = 0.047; r/2p=0.050). Significant interactions group*time (p < 0.001; r/2p=0.137), 5-0-5 COD (p < 0.001; r/2p=0.274), and CMJ (p < 0.001; r/2p=0.392) were found, while no significant interactions were found in Illinois (p = 0.293; r/2p=0.014). The current research revealed that a combined training intervention consisting of strength training, plyometrics, and running techniques can be significantly beneficial for improving COD performance and CMJ. 2023-09-18T10:31:41Z 2023-09-18T10:31:41Z 2023-09 journal article R. Martín-Moya et al. Effects of combined plyometric, strength and running technique training program on change-of-direction and countermovement jump: A two-armed parallel study design on young soccer players. Gait & Posture 105 (2023) 27–34. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gaitpost.2023.06.025] https://hdl.handle.net/10481/84476 10.1016/j.gaitpost.2023.06.025 eng http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ open access Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 Internacional Elsevier