The Effects of an In-Season Athletic Motor Skill Competencies Intervention on Physical Bio-Motor Qualities among Elite Youth Soccer Players

Authors

  • Gavin Synott Department of Sport, Exercise & Nutrition, School of Science & Computing, Atlantic Technological University, (ATU), Galway Campus, Galway, Ireland
  • Paul Byrne School of Sport and Health Sciences (Sport), Cardiff Metropolitan University, Cardiff, United Kingdom; and Department of Health and Sport Sciences, South East Technological University (Kilkenny Road Campus), Carlow, Ireland
  • Ryan Lisa Department of Sport, Exercise & Nutrition, School of Science & Computing, Atlantic Technological University, (ATU), Galway Campus, Galway, Ireland
  • Jeremy Moody School of Sport and Health Sciences (Sport), Cardiff Metropolitan University, Cardiff, United Kingdom; and School of Physical Education and Sports, Nisantasi University, Istanbul, Turkey
  • John Duggan Department of Sport, Exercise & Nutrition, School of Science & Computing, Atlantic Technological University, (ATU), Galway Campus, Galway, Ireland; and School of Sport and Health Sciences (Sport), Cardiff Metropolitan University, Cardiff, United Kingdom

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47206/ijsc.v5i1.475

Keywords:

Athletic motor skill competencies (AMSC), Youth, Soccer, Competitive phase, Bio-motor qualities

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of an in-season athletic motor skill competency (AMSC) programme on the physical bio-motor qualities of youth academy soccer players. Thirty-four (n = 34) U14 and U15 male underage academy soccer players were recruited from a League of Ireland (LOI) soccer  club. The study was conducted over 10 weeks  that included a pre-testing battery, an 8-week intervention, and a post-testing battery. Pre- to post-intervention, the U14 squad experienced significant increases in countermovement jump (CMJ) peak power, and both chin-up three repetition maximum (3RM) and predicted 1RM (p < 0.05, effect size [ES] = 0.15 to 0.25). The U15 squad displayed significant changes in 5m sprint time (p < 0.05, ES = 0.20); CMJ height, peak power, and propulsive impulse (p < 0.05, ES = -0.17 to -0.58). The U15 squad demonstrated a significant improvement in their 5m sprint time compared to the U14 squad (p < 0.05). Additionally, 38% of the U14 squad showed improvements exceeding the smallest worthwhile change (SWC) across seven CMJ variables (jump height, peak power, eccentric duration, RSImod, mean peak force, propulsive impulse,  time to take-off). Similarly, 43% of the U15 squad achieved positive changes greater than the SWC in sprint speed, strength, and 5 of the jump variables. This study provides valuable evidence for integrating an AMSC programme into youth soccer training regimens to optimize player development and performance. 

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Published

2025-09-12

Issue

Vol. 5 No. 1 (2025): International Journal of Strength and Conditioning

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Gavin Synott, Paul Byrne, Ryan Lisa , Moody Jeremy, John Duggan

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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How to Cite

Synott, Gavin, Paul Byrne, Ryan Lisa, Jeremy Moody, and John Duggan. 2025. “The Effects of an In-Season Athletic Motor Skill Competencies Intervention on Physical Bio-Motor Qualities Among Elite Youth Soccer Players”. International Journal of Strength and Conditioning 5 (1). https://doi.org/10.47206/ijsc.v5i1.475.