The Effects of Different Post-Activation Performance Enhancement Protocols on Physical Outputs in Soccer Players

Post-activation performance enhancement (PAPE) is a method that suggests that short-term neuromuscular stimuli can produce temporary improvements in explosive performance, such as sprinting and jumping. In this context, the study aims to investigate the acute effects of various PAPE protocols on acceleration capacity, short-distance sprint performance, and lower-limb explosive power output in adolescent soccer players. The research was designed as a randomized crossover study involving 27 male U17 soccer players. Data collection tools included the “10-M Acceleration Test,” “20-M Sprint Test,” “Vertical Jump Test,” and “Horizontal Jump Test.” Participants performed a resisted PAPE protocol using elastic bands corresponding to approximately 10% of their body weight (5–6 kg) and an unresisted protocol using only their body weight. The data were found to be normally distributed using the Shapiro–Wilk test. To evaluate performance changes, a 2×2 mixed-design repeated-measures ANOVA and Hedge’s g effect size were used (α=0.05). The resisted PAPE protocol produced significant improvements in acceleration (–2.48%), sprint performance (–1.36%), vertical jump (6.17%), and horizontal jump (6.68%). In contrast, the unresisted protocol yielded significant improvement only in horizontal jump performance (3.40%). The resisted PAPE protocol appears to be more effective than the unresisted protocol in enhancing explosive performance in adolescent soccer players. These results suggest that incorporating elastic band–based conditioning activities into warm-up routines may optimize short-term neuromuscular readiness. Furthermore, the findings highlight the practical value of variable-resistance stimuli in supporting performance on tasks that require rapid force production, indicating their potential utility in both training environments and pre-competition preparation.