Effectiveness of targeted football drills on agility, explosive strength, and coordinative abilities. A comparative study

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of targeted football-specific drills on agility, explosive strength, and coordinative abilities in district-level male football players aged 17 to 23 years. A randomized controlled pretest–post-test design was adopted, involving 30 participants divided equally into experimental and control groups. The experimental group underwent a six-week, football-specific drill-based training intervention comprising passing drills, small-sided games, and plyometric exercises. Physical and skill performance variables—including orientation ability (ob), differentiation ability (db), balance (bl), reaction ability (ra), explosive strength (es), agility (at), and football-specific skills—were assessed using validated test batteries. Results revealed significant improvements (p < 0.05) in orientation ability, differentiation ability, static balance, reaction ability, explosive strength (standing broad jump), agility (T-test), kicking accuracy, and ball control while running (30 m dribble test) in the experimental group. The McDonald football test also showed significant increases, indicating enhanced overall skill performance. However, juggling ability did not exhibit significant improvement, suggesting the need for more isolated training in that area. The study underscores the efficacy of structured, drill-specific football training in enhancing physical and coordinative performance attributes critical for game success.