Effects of a Six-Week Functional Training Program on Physical Performance and Passing Accuracy in Young Adult Male Soccer Players

PHASE	ACTIVITY	DURATION	DESCRIPTION	PROGRESSION STRATEGY (WEEKS 1–6)
Warm-up	Dynamic stretching & soccer-specific drills	10 min	Joint mobilization, light jogging, and ball feeling.	Increase intensity from low to moderate heart rate.
Station 1	Neuromuscular & Power drills	15 min	Bodyweight lunges, squat jumps, and single-leg squats combined with 10-m sprints.	Weeks 1–2: 10 reps, 45 s rest. Weeks 3–4: 12 reps, 40 s rest. Weeks 5–6: 15 reps, 30 s rest.
Station 2	Technical Precision	15 min	Inside-foot passes through markers and cones.	Weeks 1–2: 1.0 m gate width. Weeks 3–4: 0.7 m gate width. Weeks 5–6: 0.5 m gate width + verbal cues.
Station 3	Dynamic Passing	10 min	Paired passing at varied distances (10, 15, 20 m).	Weeks 1–2: Controlled 2-touch. Weeks 3–4: Alternating 1 & 2-touch. Weeks 5–6: Rapid 1-touch only.
Cool-down	Static stretching	10 min	Whole-body flexibility exercises.	Maintain consistency in duration.

Loughborough Soccer Passing Test (LSPT) layout.

Flow diagram of participant allocation and analysis.

Table 2

The physiological data of the CG and the FTG.

VARIABLES	PHASE	CG (n = 15)	FTG (n = 15)	p-value ( $n_{p}^{2}$ )
VARIABLES	PHASE	CG (n = 15)	FTG (n = 15)	TIME	GROUP	TIME × GROUP
Weight (kg)	pre-test	70.00 ± 11.77	69.26 ± 14.26	0.042(0.14)	0.820(0.00)	0.263(0.05)
	mid-test	70.21 ± 12.17	68.91 ± 14.60
	post-test	70.79 ± 12.43	69.50 ± 14.06
BMI (kg/m²)	pre-test	24.43 ± 3.62	23.11 ± 4.82	0.413(0.02)	0.232(0.05)	0.074(0.11)
	mid-test	25.96 ± 3.67	22.70 ± 5.00
	post-test	25.21 ± 3.65	23.25 ± 4.49
Arm muscle mass (kg)	pre-test	27.93 ± 3.71	27.29 ± 4.34	0.011(0.21)	0.998(0.00)	0.135(0.08)
	mid-test	27.97 ± 4.00	28.37 ± 3.99
	post-test	28.27 ± 3.98	28.53 ± 4.00*
Leg muscle mass (kg)	pre-test	36.91 ± 5.94	36.88 ± 5.98	<0.001(0.46)	0.703(0.01)	<0.001(0.56)
	mid-test	36.81 ± 5.66	37.75 ± 5.70
	post-test	36.77 ± 5.62	38.26 ± 5.58*^,†
Body fat mass (kg)	pre-test	14.48 ± 6.09	14.16 ± 8.54	0.025(0.17)	0.526(0.15)	<0.001(0.52)
	mid-test	14.32 ± 6.27	12.45 ± 8.24
	post-test	15.24 ± 6.52	12.25 ± 8.21*^,†

[i] Data are presented as mean ± SD.*p < 0.05, Time, **p < 0.05, Group, ^†p < 0.05, Time × Group, BMI = Body mass index.

Table 3

The physical fitness test variables were compared before and between the CG and the FTG.

VARIABLES	PHASE	CG (n = 15)	FTG (n = 15)	p-value ( $n_{p}^{2}$ )
VARIABLES	PHASE	CG (n = 15)	FTG (n = 15)	TIME	GROUP	TIME × GROUP
YBT-Right Leg (cm)	pre-test	108.35 ± 12.27	109.10 ± 15.05	0.142(0.08)	<0.001(0.33)	<0.001(0.42)
	mid-test	100.38 ± 11.94	116.25 ± 11.17^a
	post-test	101.25 ± 7.70	123.35 ± 11.57^b
YBT-Left Leg (cm)	pre-test	109.67 ± 10.14	109.38 ± 13.33	0.043(0.14)	0.006(0.24)	<0.001(0.54)
	mid-test	105.31 ± 6.73	116.83 ± 13.87^a
	post-test	102.71 ± 6.50	124.56 ± 14.49^b
T-test (s)	pre-test	7.90 ± 1.52	7.60 ± 1.03	0.040(0.14)	0.003(0.28)	0.187(0.06)
	mid-test	8.36 ± 0.89	7.20 ± 0.76^a
	post-test	7.70 ± 0.60	6.72 ± 0.55^b
30-m sprint test (s)	pre-test	5.26 ± 0.87	5.30 ± 0.54	0.054(0.13)	0.001(0.31)	0.001(0.32)
	mid-test	5.15 ± 0.74	4.71 ± 0.23^a
	post-test	5.53 ± 0.72	4.36 ± 0.28^b

[i] Data are presented as mean ± SD, ^ap < 0.05, vs. pre – mid, ^bp < 0.05, vs. mid – post. YBT = Y-Balance Test.

Comparison of the leg strength and vertical jump tests between the functional training group (FTG) and the control group (CG) across three assessment phases.
Data are presented as mean ± SD. *p < 0.05, Time, **p < 0.05, Group, ^†p < 0.05, Time × Group, ^ap < 0.05, vs. pre – mid, ^bp < 0.05, vs. pre – post, ^cp < 0.05, vs. mid – post.

Comparison of Loughborough Soccer Passing Test (LSPT) performance between the functional training group (FTG) and the control group (CG) across three assessment phases.
Data are presented as mean ± SD. *p < 0.05, Time, **p < 0.05, Group, ^†p < 0.05, Time × Group, ^ap < 0.05, vs. pre – mid, ^bp < 0.05, vs. pre – post. PS = Penalty Second, ET = Executive time, LSPT = Loughborough Soccer Passing Test.

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.5334/paah.556 | Journal eISSN: 2515-2270

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Language: English

Page range: 54 - 65

Submitted on: Feb 25, 2026

Accepted on: May 8, 2026

Published on: May 28, 2026

Published by: Ubiquity Press

In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services

Publication frequency: 1 issue per year

Keywords:

Functional training,

soccer passing accuracy,

Loughborough Soccer Passing Test (LSPT),

young adults,

neuromuscular coordination

© 2026 Naparat Doungchan, Ratchaya Supalak, Kunanya Masodsai, Masashi Miyashita, Bulin Jirapongsatorn, published by Ubiquity Press
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Volume 10 (2026): Issue 1

Effects of a Six-Week Functional Training Program on Physical Performance and Passing Accuracy in Young Adult Male Soccer Players

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