effects of a 6-week high-intensity resistance and stretching program on football performance in novice players: a randomized controlled trial

Purpose: this study aimed to assess the effects of a 6-week training program that combined stretching and strength exercises on the performance of novice football players aged 15 to 18 years. methods: a double-blind randomized controlled trial (rct) was conducted with 46 participants divided into four groups: a) dynamic high-intensity resistance training (dhirt) (n=12), b) static stretching (n=13), ab) combined dhirt+stretching (n=11), and c) control (n=10). performance outcomes included vertical and horizontal jump (vj and hj) distances, running speed (rs), acceleration (acc), endurance (vo₂ max), shooting speed (ss), and heart rate (hr). repeated-measures analysis of variance (anova) and post-hoc analyses were used to assess group differences and time effects. results: a repeated-measures anova showed a significant effect of time (η²=0.827) and a significant time-by-group interaction (η²=0.418), indicating substantial intervention effects. pairwise comparisons revealed that the combined training group (ab) demonstrated statistically significant improvements over the control group (c) in hj (p=0.003), rs (p=0.003), vo₂ max (p=0.000), endurance (p=0.000), ss (p=0.018), and acc (p=0.000). vertical jump (vj) improved by 2.97%, hj by 6.85%, and vo₂ max by 5.83% in the combined group. no significant intergroup differences were observed in hr (p>0.05). conclusion: combining dhirt and static stretching is more effective than either intervention alone for improving football-related physical attributes in novice players.