Masters Thesis

Effect of two regimes of sled sprinting on running performance in male collegiate soccer players

Resisted sprint training has been proven to improve speed in field sport athletes. However, there is still debate as to which relative load will elicit the greatest improvements in sprint performance. It has been demonstrated recently that the optimal load for power is much heavier than what is typically prescribed. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of two 5-week sled sprinting programs varying in load (10-20% BW) vs. (70-80% BW) on 10m, 20m, and 40m sprint, and broad jump performance. 20 male college soccer players were electronically timed then matched and assigned to either the heavy (n=10) or light (n=10) resisted sprint training group. Resisted sprint training was performed twice per week at increasing load and intensity, in conjunction with their off-season strength and conditioning program. Results showed a significant effect of time for the 40 meter and 20 meter distances, as well as for the broad jump (p0.01), with no groupXtime interaction. Heavy group showed very large effects for improvements in 40m and 20m sprint times, and a huge effect on broad jump. Light sled training showed large effects for improvements in 40m and 20m sprint times, with a medium effect on broad jump. Our data show that a 5-week sled sprinting intervention significantly improves sprint performance and broad jump in collegiate soccer players. The ideal load to prescribe for an athlete to improve their speed may be based on individual force velocity characteristics, rather than a set relative percentage.

Items in ScholarWorks are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.