Speed, Agility, and Quickness Training

Official title

Effects of Speed, Agility, and Quickness Training on Physical, Cognitive, and Skill Performance Among University Soccer Major Students in China

Overview

This study aims to evaluate the effects of Speed, Agility, and Quickness (SAQ) training on the physical, cognitive, and skill performance of university soccer major students in China. The hypothesis is that SAQ training will significantly improve students' physical fitness (e.g., speed, agility), cognitive functions (e.g., reaction time, decision-making), and soccer skills (e.g., ball control, passing). The study will recruit 52 university soccer major students, randomly assigned to an intervention group and a control group, with 26 students in each group. The study will last for 12 weeks, and tests will be conducted before, during, and after the intervention. The expected outcome is that the intervention group will show superior performance in various tests compared to the control group, thereby validating the effectiveness of SAQ training.

Detailed description

This study adopts a cluster randomized controlled trial (CRCT) design to evaluate the impact of SAQ training on the physical, cognitive, and skill performance of university soccer major students. The study will recruit 52 eligible university soccer major students, randomly assigned to the intervention group and the control group, with 26 students in each group. The study will last for 12 weeks, with the intervention group undergoing SAQ training three times a week, while the control group continues their regular training.

The SAQ training program includes the following components:

Warm-up and Cool-down: Each training session begins and ends with a 10-minute warm-up and cool-down to ensure safety.

Training Content: The SAQ training includes speed runs, agility exercises, and quick reaction drills, each session lasting 60 minutes.

Assessment Metrics: The study will assess students' physical fitness (speed, agility), cognitive functions (reaction time, decision-making), and soccer skills (ball control, passing).

Testing Time Points:

Pre-test: Initial assessment of all participants before the intervention. Mid-test: Mid-term assessment after 6 weeks of intervention. Post-test: Final assessment after the completion of the intervention.

Data Collection and Analysis:

Data Collection: Standardized testing methods will be used to assess all participants before, during, and after the intervention.

Data Analysis: Data will be analyzed using SPSS software, employing independent sample t-tests and ANOVA to compare differences between the intervention and control groups across various metrics.

Quality Assurance and Data Validation:

Quality Assurance Plan: An independent quality control team will oversee data collection and entry to ensure accuracy and completeness.

Data Validation: Data will be validated by comparing it with external sources (e.g., medical records, paper reports) to ensure authenticity and representativeness.

Sample Size Estimation and Statistical Analysis Plan:

Sample Size Estimation: Based on preliminary studies, the required sample size is estimated to be 52 to ensure statistical significance of the results.

Statistical Analysis Plan: Multivariate regression analysis and other methods will be used to control for confounding variables and analyze the impact of SAQ training on various metrics in detail.

Interventions

• Behavioral Speed, Agility, and Quickness (SAQ) Training
  The SAQ training will include exercises designed to improve speed, agility, and quickness, such as ladder drills, cone drills, sprint drills, and reaction drills.
• Behavioral Regular Training
  Participants in the control group will follow a standard soccer training regimen, which includes general conditioning exercises, skill drills, and tactical training.

Primary outcome measures

• Flexibility [Time frame: Pre-intervention: Week 0 Mid-intervention: Week 6 Post-intervention: Week 12]
• Agility [Time frame: Pre-intervention: Week 0 Mid-intervention: Week 6 Post-intervention: Week 12]
• Sprint [Time frame: Pre-intervention: Week 0 Mid-intervention: Week 6 Post-intervention: Week 12]
• Upper Body Strength [Time frame: Pre-intervention: Week 0 Mid-intervention: Week 6 Post-intervention: Week 12]
• Lower Limb Explosiveness [Time frame: Pre-intervention: Week 0 Mid-intervention: Week 6 Post-intervention: Week 12]
• Aerobic Endurance [Time frame: Pre-intervention: Week 0 Mid-intervention: Week 6 Post-intervention: Week 12]
• Reaction Time [Time frame: Pre-intervention: Week 0 Mid-intervention: Week 6 Post-intervention: Week 12]
• Selective attention [Time frame: Pre-intervention: Week 0 Mid-intervention: Week 6 Post-intervention: Week 12]
• Dribbling Agility [Time frame: Pre-intervention: Week 0 Mid-intervention: Week 6 Post-intervention: Week 12]
• Passing performance [Time frame: Pre-intervention: Week 0 Mid-intervention: Week 6 Post-intervention: Week 12]

Secondary outcome measures (2)

• Height [Time frame: Pre-intervention: Week 0 Mid-intervention: Week 6 Post-intervention: Week 12]
• Weight [Time frame: Pre-intervention: Week 0 Mid-intervention: Week 6 Post-intervention: Week 12]

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion criteria

• Male soccer major students (age ≥18 years old)
• At least 3 years of professional soccer training
• No recent history of surgery or injury
• No participation in SAQ training programs within 8 weeks prior to the study
• Able to provide written informed consent and willing to participate in the entire study and complete all assessments

Exclusion criteria

• Recent history of fractures or other injuries
• Currently participating in an SAQ training program

Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.

Healthy volunteers: Yes

Study design

Allocation

Randomized

Model

Parallel assignment

Masking

Single blind

Primary purpose

Other

Study locations

Malaysia · 1 center

• Faculty of Educational Studies — Kuala Lumpur

Publications

• Brown, L., & Ferrigno, V. (2014). Training for speed, agility, and quickness, 3E. Human Kinetics
• Lee YS, Lee D, Ahn NY. SAQ training on sprint, change-of-direction speed, and agility in U-20 female football players. PLoS One. 2024 Mar 13;19(3):e0299204. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0299204. eCollection 2024. PMID 38478514
• Trecroci A, Cavaggioni L, Rossi A, Moriondo A, Merati G, Nobari H, Ardigo LP, Formenti D. Effects of speed, agility and quickness training programme on cognitive and physical performance in preadolescent soccer players. PLoS One. 2022 Dec 1;17(12):e0277683. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0277683. eCollection 2022. PMID 36454889
• Treisman, A. (1977). Focused attention in the perception and retrieval of multidimensional stimuli. Perception & psychophysics, 22, 1-11
• Development of speed, agility, and quickness for the female soccer athlete.
• Zamanzadeh V, Ghahramanian A, Rassouli M, Abbaszadeh A, Alavi-Majd H, Nikanfar AR. Design and Implementation Content Validity Study: Development of an instrument for measuring Patient-Centered Communication. J Caring Sci. 2015 Jun 1;4(2):165-78. doi: 10.15171/jcs.2015.017. eCollection 2015 Jun. PMID 26161370
• Milanovic Z, Sporis G, Trajkovic N, James N, Samija K. Effects of a 12 Week SAQ Training Programme on Agility with and without the Ball among Young Soccer Players. J Sports Sci Med. 2013 Mar 1;12(1):97-103. eCollection 2013. PMID 24149731

Identifiers

NCT: NCT06547047 · SMin

Primary sources (government registries)

• ClinicalTrials.gov (US NIH)

View this study on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗