Abstract

Background: Plyometric training involves the eccentric and concentric action of muscles, enhancing power and strength. Agility, Balance, and Coordination (ABC) drills focus on a person's ability to rapidly change speed and direction, perform movements precisely, and maintain control of body movement. Both are crucial in sports like football for performance enhancement.
Objective: The study aimed to compare the effects of plyometric training and ABC drills on performance enhancement in football players.
Methods: This randomized clinical trial was conducted at the Pakistan Sports Board. Thirty-six football athletes (18–30 years old, male and female) were randomly allocated into two groups. Group 1 underwent plyometric training, while Group 2 engaged in ABC drills, each for six weeks, two times per week, in addition to their regular training sessions. Performance was assessed pre- and post-training using the 30m sprint test, Illinois agility test, and Y-balance test.
Results: Both groups showed similar improvements in the Illinois agility test (plyometric pre-training: 21.9733 ± 1.50903 sec, post-training: 21.0006 ± 1.49193 sec; ABC pre-training: 21.8128 ± 1.38260 sec, post-training: 20.1717 ± 1.3807 sec, p-value = 0.843). In the Y-balance test, both groups improved significantly (Plyometric right leg pre-training: 88.9328 ± 5.65602, post-training: 99.5311 ± 4.34791, left leg pre-training: 86.7744 ± 5.46652, post-training: 97.0767 ± 6.12451; ABC right leg pre-training: 89.7556 ± 5.01604, post-training: 102.6528 ± 5.60480, left leg pre-training: 86.5433 ± 5.53374, post-training: 100.7744 ± 6.13816, p-value > 0.05). However, the 30m sprint test revealed more significant improvement in the ABC group (Plyometric pre-training: 5.4183 ± 0.47052 sec, post-training: 4.5494 ± 0.47539 sec; ABC pre-training: 5.4483 ± 0.48415 sec, post-training: 4.2100 ± 0.24869 sec, p-value = 0.01).
Conclusion: While both plyometric training and ABC drills positively affect agility and balance, ABC drills demonstrate a significantly greater impact on sprint performance in football players.