The Effects of a 6-Week Resisted Small-Sided Games Training Program on the Power Performance of Young Soccer Players

Abstract Majkić, B, Stojanović, N, Lilić, A, and Milanović, Z. The effects of a 6-week resisted small-sided games training program on the power performance of young soccer players. J Strength Cond Res 39(7): e870–e877, 2025—Small-sided games (SSG) with additional load can improve power performance in soccer players. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a 6-week resisted SSG training program on power performance in young soccer players. Twenty-two under-17 top-national youth-level soccer players (age: 16.11 ± 0.41 years; height: 176.31 ± 5.71 cm; body mass: 65.16 ± 8.1 kg) were randomly allocated to a weighted vests group (WV; n = 11), which wore weighted vests of 10% of their body mass or control group (CG; n = 11) with no additional load during sessions. Subjects performed vertical jump test, sprint running test (5, 10, and 30 m), and change of direction tests (COD) (Slalom, t test, and 4 × 5 m). The 6-week experimental program, implemented into regular sessions, included 2 additional SSGs per week and consisted of 3 sets lasting 3 minutes with 3-minute rest intervals. The players were divided into 2 teams of 5 and 2 of 6 players, each consisting of a mix of players from WV and CG, and performed SSG on the field area corresponding to 75 m 2 per player. Results revealed an improvement for WV in jump height by 7.34% (ES = 1.79) and in Peak Power (PP) by 4.40%. Significant interaction effects were observed in the Slalom and 4 × 5 m tests, and there was a distinction for 5 and 30 m sprints but with no statistically significant interaction effects. It is concluded that implementing resisted SSGs during the preparatory period can enhance jump height, PP, COD, and 5 m sprint time in young soccer players.