Abstract

Purpose: This study aims to determine what changes occur in body composition and performance by subjecting youth soccer players to weight training and combined training, which are known to be effective in improving anaerobic capacity, for 6 weeks. Research design, data, and methodology: This study was conducted on 30 high school soccer players from S City who had no current injuries or medical problems and had been registered as players with the Korea Football Association for more than 3 years. Subjects were divided into a weight training group (WTG, n=15) and a combined training group (CTG, n=15). Training lasted 6 weeks, and measurements were taken before and after training. Mean (M) and standard deviation (SD) were calculated to present the descriptive statistics of all dependent variables. Paired t-tests were used to test for within-group differences. Further, Independent t-tests were employed to test for between-group differences. Results: In terms of body composition, height significantly increased in WTG and CTG, and body fat percentage significantly decreased in CTG. As for performance, WTG's 20m sprint record decreased significantly. Conclusion: As a result, this study confirmed that weight training improved the 20m sprint ability of youth soccer players. Future research could provide more useful information by extending the study period and incorporating the physical characteristics of adolescents.