Effects of elastic band-resisted plyometric training on jump performance in young male soccer players: A randomised controlled trial

Plyometric training is widely used to enhance explosive performance in youth athletes; however, the effects of adding elastic band resistance remain unclear. This randomised controlled trial compared elastic band-resisted plyometric training (EBPT), traditional plyometric training (PLT), and a control condition (CON) on jump performance in young male soccer players. Thirty-three players (age 14–15 years) were assigned to EBPT ( n  = 10), PLT ( n  = 11), or CON ( n  = 12); both training groups completed a 6-week intervention (two sessions per week). Jump height and take-off velocity for squat jump, countermovement jump without and with arm swing (CMJ-NS, CMJ-AS), and dominant- and non-dominant-leg single-leg vertical jumps (SVJ-D, SVJ-ND) were analysed using mixed-design ANOVA; peak power and relative peak power were analysed using one-way ANCOVA with the pre-test value as covariate (with Quade's non-parametric rank ANCOVA where the homogeneity-of-regression-slopes assumption was violated). Groups were balanced for maturation at baseline (both p  > 0.85). Significant time × group interactions emerged for CMJ-NS height ( p  = .045), SVJ-D height ( p  = .046), SVJ-ND height ( p  = .010), and CMJ-NS take-off velocity ( p  = .027). EBPT exceeded CON for CMJ-NS height and exceeded both CON and PLT for SVJ-D height. One-way ANCOVA showed that EBPT exceeded both PLT and CON for dominant single-leg peak power ( F (2, 29) = 13.81, p  < .001, ηp ²  = .49); for CMJ-NS peak power EBPT exceeded only the control (not PLT), and no relative peak-power outcome differed between groups, indicating that the absolute-power advantages were partly driven by body-mass differences and did not persist once power was normalised to body mass. EBPT preferentially enhances unilateral explosive performance, with its only advantage over traditional plyometrics in dominant single-leg jump height and peak power; for bilateral countermovement tasks, EBPT and traditional plyometrics produce comparable adaptations, supporting selective application aligned with training goals. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT07367230, Retrospectively registered.