DOI: 10.54141/psbd.1873081 ISSN: 1309-0356

Post-Activation Performance Enhancement in Soccer Players: Effects of Different Contraction Types and Rest Intervals on Change of Direction Ability

Neslihan Akçay, Kadir Keskin, Cem Sofuoğlu, Kerem Can Yıldız, Nilsu Süpürgeci, Erşan Arslan
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Isometric and dynamic contraction protocols are commonly used in sports to achieve post-activation performance enhancement (PAPE). Although rest intervals in PAPE protocols have been widely investigated, the effects of different PAPE methods on performance across recovery intervals remain unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the effects of post-activation potentiation induced by different contraction types on change-of-direction performance under varying rest durations. Twenty male soccer players (age: 20.9 ± 1.3 years; training experience: 7.6 ± 2.7 years; height: 176.9 ± 5.7 cm; body weight: 74.3 ± 7.5 kg) voluntarily participated in this study. The study used a randomized, crossover design, with 48-hour intervals over three non-consecutive days. On the first day, anthropometric characteristics and one-repetition maximum (1RM) knee extension performance were assessed. Following a standardized warm-up protocol, change-of-direction (CoD) test performance was recorded on the second and third days. After a 5-minute passive rest, participants performed either a dynamic (1 set of 3 repetitions at 90% 1RM) or an isometric (3 sets of 3 seconds, with 2-minute rest intervals) knee extension protocol. Subsequently, CoD tests were conducted at 15 seconds, 3, 6, 9, and 12 minutes post-activation. No significant main or interaction effects were observed for contraction type or recovery interval (p > .05). Furthermore, no significant differences in rest intervals were observed between the isometric and dynamic protocols (F = 1.383, p = .255, ηp2 = .061). In conclusion, these results indicate that neither the isometric nor the dynamic exercise protocols produced a pronounced PAPE effect on CoD performance.

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