摘要
Purpose Sled towing has been shown to be an effective method to enhance the physical qualities in youth athletes.The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of a 6-week sled towing intervention on muscular strength,speed and power in elite youth soccer players of differing maturity status.Method Seventy-three male elite youth soccer players aged 12-18 years(Pre-Peak Height Velocity[PHV]n = 25;Circa-PHV n = 24;Post-PHV n = 24)from one professional soccer academy participated in this study.Sprint assessments(10 m and 30 m),countermovement jump and isometric mid-thigh pull were undertaken before(T1)and after(T2)a 6-week intervention.The training intervention consisted of 6 weeks(2xper week,10 sprints over 20 m distance)of resisted sled towing(linear progression 10%-30%of body mass)during the competitive season.Bayesian regression models analysed differences between T1 and T2 within each maturity group.Results There were minimal changes in strength,speed and power(P=0.35-0.80)for each maturity group across the 6-week intervention.Where there were changes with greater certainty,they are unlikely to represent real effect due to higher regres-sion to the mean(RTM).Conclusion It appears that a 6-week sled towing training programme with loadings of 10%-30%body mass only maintains physical qualities in elite youth soccer players pre-,circa-,and post-PHV.Further research is required to determine the effectiveness of this training method in long-term athletic development programmes.
