The Effects of a Soccer-Specific and Traditional Proprioceptive Training Programs on Change of Direction, Passing Skills, and Balance in Young Soccer Players

Abstract Majkić, B, Stojanović, N, Rančić, D, and Aleksić, A. The effects of a soccer-specific and traditional proprioceptive training programs on change of direction, passing skills and balance in young soccer players. J Strength Cond Res 40(3): e273–e281, 2026—The main goal of this research was to evaluate the effects of soccer-specific proprioceptive training (SSP), traditional proprioceptive training (TP), and control group (CG) in trained or developmental young soccer players. Fifty-four subjects (aged 10–12 years) were randomly allocated to one of these 3 groups and underwent 10 weeks of training, with pre-intervention and post-intervention assessments. Tests included Slalom and Zig-Zag tests (with and without a ball), Loughborough Passing Test (LPT), and Balance Error Scoring System (BESS). Changes in performance were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA with Bonferroni post hoc and difference-in-differences analysis, effect sizes (Hedge's g ) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI). Significant Time × Group interactions were found for the Slalom ( p = 0.029, = 0.129), Slalom with ball ( p = 0.017, = 0.148), LPT total ( p = 0.032, = 0.127), and BESS ( p = 0.019, = 0.144). Furthermore, SSP exhibited greater improvements compared with CG in Slalom ( g = 1.37, 95% CI [0.36–2.37]; large), Slalom with ball ( g = 0.40, 95% CI [0.13–0.67]; small), LPT total time ( g = 0.90, 95% CI [0.24–1.56]; moderate), and BESS ( g = 0.93, 95% CI [0.19–1.67]; moderate). In addition, TP showed larger gains compared with CG in BESS ( g = 0.94, 95% CI [0.20–1.69]; moderate), whereas all other between-group differences were trivial to small, indicating no clear differences. Soccer-specific proprioceptive and TP should be prioritized in youth programs because it may offer advantages over regular soccer training in enhancing change of direction, passing skills, and balance.