Effects of Plyometric Versus Resistance Band Training on Agility and Rate of Perceived Exertion Among Recreational Football Players

Effects of Plyometric Versus Resistance Band Training on Agility and Rate of Perceived Exertion Among Recreational Football Players: A Randomized Clinical Trial

The goal of the current study is to evaluate the plyometrics and resistance band training in recreational football players, aged 18-25 years. The main question it aims to answer are:

Does the plyometrics significantly improve agility and reduce Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE)? Does the resistance band training significantly improve agility and reduce RPE? Participants will be assigned to either an experimental group receiving plyometrics or arm comparator group receiving resistance band training, and will complete standardized assessment of agility and RPE before and after the intervention.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Recreational Football Players
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Plyometrics; Other: Resistance band training

Detailed Description

This clinical trial is designed to evaluate the effects of plyometrics and resistance band training on agility and RPE in recreational football players. It is commonly linked to reduce rate of exertion and improve agility. All participants will undergo baseline assessment, including agility measured with the Illinois Agility Test and RPE assessed using the Modified Borg Scale. Participants will be randomized into two groups (Experimental Group and Arm Comparator Group). Participants in the experimental group will perform plyometric exercises plus warm up and cool down exercises. Plyometrics exercises are side jumps, countermovement jumps and double bound leg jumps. Warm up exercises include jogging, dynamic stretching and active range of motion. Cool down exercises include jogging and static stretching. Participants in the arm comparator group will perform resistance band exercises plus warm up and cool down exercises. Resistance band exercises are squat, lunges and side lunges using resistance bands. Warm up and cool down exercises are described in experimental group above. The interventions will occur 4 times per week for 6 weeks, with each session lasting approximately 30 minutes. Participants will be advised to avoid any external interventions during the study period. Post-intervention assessments will be conducted immediately after six weeks post intervention. This study aims to clarify whether the plyometrics results in superior clinical outcomes compared to resistance band training in the improvement of agility and RPE.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 40
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Sabeen Sabir, DPT; Phone Number: +923235565534; Email: sabeensabir0300@gmail.com
• Study Contact Backup: Name: MUHAMMAD TARIQ RAFIQ, PhD; Phone Number: +923214495948; Email: tariq.rafiq@ubas.edu.pk

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Population selected: Male recreational footballers.
• Participants who were football players had been actively participating in football academies for more than 6 months.
• Participants must be active and are in good health.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Participants with any neurological and spinal impairments, cardiopulmonary diseases and musculoskeletal disorders.
• Participants with history of any lower limb surgeries that affect lower limb function
• Participants not regularly attending the training programs.
• Participants with history of any lower limb fracture and ligament sprain.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Triple

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Plyometrics with warm up and cool down exercises	Other: Plyometrics; Participants in this group will follow a 6-week program targeting the plyometric exercises with warm up and cool down exercises. Warm up and cool down exercises are performed before and after the plyometric exercises respectively, only for 5 minutes. Plyometrics exercises include side jumps, countermovement jumps and double bound leg jumps (3 sets X 10 repetitions, with 1 minute resting between each set, performed 4 days a week for 6 weeks) to improve agility. The intervention aims to improve agility and reduce levels of exertion in recreational football players.
Active Comparator: Resistance band training with warm up and cool down exercises	Other: Resistance band training; Participants in this group will follow a 6-week program targeting the resistance band exercises with warm up and cool down exercises. Warm up and cool down exercises are performed before and after resistance band exercises respectively, only for 5 minutes. Resistance band exercises include squats, lunges, and side lunges using resistance bands (3 sets X 10 repetitions, with 1 minute resting between each set, performed 4 days a week for 6 weeks) to improve agility. The intervention aims to improve agility and reduce levels of exertion in recreational football players.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Agility	Agility is the ability to maintain control of body position while changing direction rapidly, whether moving to the left, right, or behind the body. Balance, coordination, strength and speed are all measured as part of agility while moving rapidly through obstacles. Agility is a significant factor in various sports as it helps in acquiring preparedness. Agility is assessed using the Illinois agility Test (IAT). IAT is a timed test including a prone start position followed by a quick transition to standing and running through multidirectional obstacles. It is a widely used tool for assessing agility by evaluating an athlete's ability to change direction and accelerate quickly within a set course, reflecting agility demands across various sports. The change of direction agility test is reported to have high reliability and validity for team sports.	From enrollment to the end of treatment at 6 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Rate of Perceived Exertion	Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) is a subjective measure, affected by physiological and psychological factors. It largely depends on how an athlete feels about the heaviness or lightness of a workload provided that mental state and fatigue level experienced during exercise play significant roles. The subjective nature of RPE reflect an athlete's perceived internal effort and help us gain a more complete picture about training load. RPE is measured by using Modified Borg Scale. The scale ranges from 1 to 10 where 1 represents "really easy" and 10 represents "maximal; just like my hardest race". Participants select the number that best represents their current level of exertion, with higher scores indicating maximal levels of exertion.	From enrollment to the end of treatment at 6 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Lahore University of Biological and Applied Sciences
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Muhammad Tariq Rafiq, Lahore University of Biological & Applied Sciences

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): April 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): May 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): June 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 3, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 3, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): March 9, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 9, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 3, 2026
• Last Verified: March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Plyometrics; Agility; Resistance Band; Perceived Exertion Rate; Recreational Players; Illinois Agility Test
• Other Study ID Numbers: DPT/ERB/37

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES
• IPD Plan Description: IPD will be shared after completion of the study
• IPD Sharing Time Frame: After completion of the study until the time of 5 years.
• IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type: STUDY_PROTOCOL; CSR

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No