The Development of SAQ and Flexibility Training Programs on the Speed and Agility of Football Players
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Abstract
This study aimed to develop a Speed, Agility and Quickness (SAQ) training program combined with a flexibility training program, and to examine their effects on speed and agility in football players. A research and development (R&D) design was employed and divided into two phases. Phase 1 was a descriptive and field-based exploratory study where data were collected from five football coaches and fifteen male football players through semi-structured interviews along with a review of relevant documents and research. The information obtained was analyzed and synthesized to design an SAQ plus flexibility training program that corresponded to the demands of actual football competition. Phase 2 used a quasi-experimental research design. The sample consisted of 30 male university football players, divided into a control group (n = 15) and an experimental group (n = 15). The control group followed the team’s regular training program, whereas the experimental group received the SAQ plus flexibility training program for 8 weeks. Speed was assessed using a 30-meter sprint test, and agility was assessed using the Illinois Agility Test, recording the mean time of three trials for each test at pre-training, after 4 weeks of training, and after 8 weeks of training. Data were analyzed using mean and standard deviation, and differences were tested using the independent t-test with the level of statistical significance set at .05.
The results showed that, in Phase 1, players exhibited limitations in speed, change-of-direction ability, flexibility, and body control during actual match play. These findings were used as baseline information for designing the SAQ plus flexibility training program in Phase 2. After 4 weeks of intervention in phase 2, the experimental group achieved significantly better Illinois Agility Test times than the control group. After 8 weeks, the experimental group also outperformed the control group on both the 30-meter sprint and the Illinois Agility Test at the .05 level of statistical significance. These findings indicate that the combined SAQ and flexibility training program developed in this study can effectively enhances speed and agility in male university football players and provides a practical guideline for coaches to prepare players’ physical fitness for the demands of competitive football.
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