The effect of weight training on some specific physical and skill abilities of under-18 football juniors

Abstract

The aim of the research was to study the effect of weight-based training on some special physical abilities (arm speed-specific strength, leg speed-specific strength, trunk speed-specific strength, transition speed, speed endurance) and on some skill abilities (scoring, handling, dribbling) among football juniors under 18 years old. To achieve this goal, the experimental method was used with two groups (experimental and control) and pre- and post-measurements. The research sample amounted to (30) players from Al-Shorouk Football sawa in Almuthanaa Governorate, who were divided equally into two groups: the first was an experimental group (15 players) that underwent a weight-based training program that lasted (12) weeks, and the second was a control group (15 players) that continued their usual training program. The researcher used a set of appropriate physical and skill tests, in addition to auxiliary means and tools. The data were processed using (SPSS) software based on appropriate statistical methods such as the Wilcoxon signed ranks test. The results showed statistically significant differences at the level (α ≤ 0.05) between the pre- and post-measurements in favor of the post-measurement in all physical and skill abilities among the members of the experimental group, while no significant differences appeared in the control group. The results also showed that weight-guided training contributed effectively to improving the strength characterized by speed, transitional speed, and speed endurance, and its impact was positively reflected in the development of basic skill performance in football. In light of these results, the researcher recommends the necessity of integrating weight-guided training in a standardized and safe manner within the preparation programs for football juniors, in a manner consistent with the requirements of the age group and training conditions.