{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,30]],"date-time":"2026-09-30T15:49:36Z","timestamp":1790783376819,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":51,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"12","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,12,1]],"date-time":"2022-12-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1669852800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS ONE"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of a short-term (4 weeks) non-soccer-specific training programme based on speed, agility and quickness (SAQ) and a soccer-specific training programme based on small-sided games (SSG) on cognitive and physical performance in preadolescent soccer players. Twenty-one participants were randomly assigned to SAQ group (n = 11) or SSG group (n = 10). They were tested pre and post interventions on physical (5 m sprint, 20 m sprint and sprint with turns of 90\u00b0) and cognitive (inhibitory control by means of the Flanker task and perceptual speed by means of the visual search task) performances. Although no significant time x group interactions were observed, the main effect of time was significant for cognitive performance and 5 m and 20 m sprint, showing improvements after both SAQ and SSG. These findings highlight that 4 weeks of SAQ training programme induced comparable improvements in cognitive and physical performance with respect to a soccer-specific training programme based on SSG in preadolescent soccer players. Non-sport-specific activities targeting speed, agility and quickness combined with cognitive engagement (i.e., SAQ) should be useful strategies as soccer-specific activities to be included within a soccer training programme for promoting both physical and cognitive domain in preadolescent individuals.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0277683","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,12,1]],"date-time":"2022-12-01T19:58:55Z","timestamp":1669924735000},"page":"e0277683","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":53,"title":["Effects of speed, agility and quickness training programme on cognitive and physical performance in preadolescent soccer players"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Athos","family":"Trecroci","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Luca","family":"Cavaggioni","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Alessio","family":"Rossi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Andrea","family":"Moriondo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Giampiero","family":"Merati","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7951-8977","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Hadi","family":"Nobari","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7677-5070","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Luca Paolo","family":"Ardig\u00f2","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2941-937X","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Damiano","family":"Formenti","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,12,1]]},"reference":[{"key":"pone.0277683.ref001","article-title":"Youth Soccer: From Science to Performance.","author":"G Stratton","year":"2004","journal-title":"Psychology Press"},{"key":"pone.0277683.ref002","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"144","DOI":"10.1123\/jsep.35.2.144","article-title":"Perceptual-Cognitive Skills and Their Interaction as a Function of Task Constraints in Soccer","volume":"35","author":"A Roca","year":"2013","journal-title":"Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology"},{"key":"pone.0277683.ref003","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"431","DOI":"10.1080\/17461391.2012.738712","article-title":"Reaction time and anticipatory skill of athletes in open and closed skill-dominated sport","volume":"13","author":"L Nuri","year":"2013","journal-title":"European Journal of Sport Science"},{"key":"pone.0277683.ref004","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"813","DOI":"10.1519\/JSC.0000000000003519","article-title":"Volleyball-Specific Skills and Cognitive Functions Can Discriminate Players of Different Competitive Levels.","volume":"36","author":"D Formenti","year":"2022","journal-title":"The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research"},{"key":"pone.0277683.ref005","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"843","DOI":"10.1002\/acp.3526","article-title":"Measurement of cognitive functions in experts and elite athletes: A meta-analytic review","volume":"33","author":"H-E Scharfen","year":"2019","journal-title":"Applied Cognitive Psychology"},{"key":"pone.0277683.ref006","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e91254","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0091254","article-title":"Executive Functioning in Highly Talented Soccer Players","volume":"9","author":"L Verburgh","year":"2014","journal-title":"PLoS ONE"},{"key":"pone.0277683.ref007","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"812","DOI":"10.1002\/acp.1588","article-title":"Are expert athletes \u2018expert\u2019 in the cognitive laboratory? 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