{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,24]],"date-time":"2026-08-24T15:37:02Z","timestamp":1787585822786,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":35,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,13]],"date-time":"2026-05-13T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1778630400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Sports Act. Living"],"abstract":"\n Aims<\/jats:title>\n This study aimed to investigate the effects of a three-day step taper on lower-limb explosive power, repeated-sprint performance, and physical and physiological parameters during sport-specific exercises in professional soccer players.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Methods<\/jats:title>\n \n The study involved 26 outfield professional soccer players from the same team (age: 28.7\u00b14.3 years; body mass: 71.8\u00b17.2 kg; height: 173.7\u00b14.3 cm). Following a 4-week mesocycle of progressive training load, players were randomly assigned to a taper group (TG;\n n<\/jats:italic>\n = 13), which underwent a three-day step taper with a 50% reduction in training duration while maintaining intensity, and a control group (CG; n = 13), which maintained their routine. Both groups performed two Countermovement jumps with arm swing (CMJAS), a 5\u00d730-m repeated-sprint test, and a Small-Sided Game (SSG) before and after the step tapering. Training load was monitored using the session rating of perceived exertion (sRPE) method.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Results<\/jats:title>\n \n The results indicated that the TG improved CMJAS height (large effect; d = 1.5;\n p<\/jats:italic>\n &lt; 0.01) and decreased peak and total time during repeated sprints (small effect;\n d<\/jats:italic>\n = 0.3;\n p<\/jats:italic>\n &lt; 0.05). It also enhanced the total covered distance (small effect;\n d<\/jats:italic>\n = 0.3;\n p<\/jats:italic>\n &lt; 0.05), as well as accelerations and decelerations during the SSG (moderate effect;\n d<\/jats:italic>\n = 0.8 and\n d<\/jats:italic>\n = 0.6, respectively;\n p<\/jats:italic>\n &lt; 0.05). In contrast, the CG showed significant decreases in CMJAS height (moderate effect;\n d<\/jats:italic>\n = 1;\n p<\/jats:italic>\n &lt; 0.01) and increases total sprint times (small effect;\n d<\/jats:italic>\n = 0.4;\n p<\/jats:italic>\n &lt; 0.05), indicating reduced performance, with no significant changes in SSG metrics.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n The study indicates that a 3-day step taper with a 50% reduction in training duration, while keeping intensity and frequency, effectively improves repeated-sprint ability and explosive power in professional soccer players, without performance loss from prior high training loads.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fspor.2026.1811250","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,13]],"date-time":"2026-05-13T05:55:15Z","timestamp":1778651715000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["A 3-day step taper enhances explosive power, repeated sprint, and small-sided game performance in soccer"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"8","author":[{"given":"Mohamed Saifeddin","family":"Fessi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Laboratory Sports Performance Optimization (LR09SEP01), National Center of Medicine and Science in Sports (CNMSS)","place":["Tunis, Tunisia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mohamed","family":"Elloumi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Sport Sciences and Diagnostics Research Group, GS-HPE Department, Prince Sultan University","place":["Riyadh, Saudi Arabia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mohamed Amine","family":"Bouzid","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"LR 19JS01 EM2S, Education, Motricity, Sport and Health, High Institute of Sport and Physical Education, University of Sfax","place":["Sfax, Tunisia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mehdi","family":"Ben Brahim","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Sport Sciences and Diagnostics Research Group, GS-HPE Department, Prince Sultan University","place":["Riyadh, Saudi Arabia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Wassim","family":"Moalla","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"LR 19JS01 EM2S, Education, Motricity, Sport and Health, High Institute of Sport and Physical Education, University of Sfax","place":["Sfax, Tunisia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,13]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2189","DOI":"10.1080\/02640414.2016.1171891","article-title":"Effects of tapering on physical match activity in professional soccer players","volume":"34","author":"Fessi","year":"2016","journal-title":"J Sports 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