Comparative changes in cardiovascular measures following speed, agility, and quickness training and small-sided games in youth football players: a randomized trial.

BACKGROUN: Speed, Agility, and Quickness (SAQ) training and small-sided games (SSGs) are widely used in youth football but impose different physical and football-specific demands. Evidence directly comparing their cardiovascular responses following a structured training intervention remains limited. OBJECTIVE: To compare cardiovascular response patterns following an 8-week SAQ or SSG training programme in male youth football players. METHODS: Thirty-six male youth football players were randomly allocated to an SAQ group (n = 18) or an SSG group (n = 18). Cardiovascular outcomes were assessed before and after the 8-week intervention and included resting heart rate (HR), post-shuttle-run HR, systolic blood pressure (SBP), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP). Pre-to-post changes were examined using a two-way mixed-design analysis of variance, with time as the within-subject factor and group as the between-subject factor. RESULTS: Both groups demonstrated reductions in all four cardiovascular outcomes. Significant time × group interactions were observed for resting HR, post-shuttle-run HR, SBP, and DBP. SSG training produced greater numerical reductions in resting HR, SBP, and DBP, whereas SAQ training produced a slightly greater reduction in post-shuttle-run HR. CONCLUSION: The findings indicate different cardiovascular response patterns following SAQ and SSG training rather than universal superiority of either modality. SSGs may be useful when cardiovascular conditioning is integrated with football-specific technical and tactical demands, whereas SAQ training provides a more targeted stimulus for acceleration, agility, and neuromuscular performance. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT07633210, registered on 03/06/2026. Retrospectively registered.