Resistance Training in Soccer: A Systematic Review of Holistic vs. Isolated Approaches

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I Dewa Made Aryananda Wijaya Kusuma, Muhammad Bagus Firzam Bharlaman, Agus Himawan, S. Sumarno, Tetiana Vozniuk

2025 Balneo and PRM Research Journal Vol. 16 Issue 4 Article Cited by 1 SDG 17SDG 8SDG 16 Quartile

Abstract

Resistance training plays a critical role in enhancing physical performance in soccer by developing key attributes such as strength, speed, and power. This study reviews the effectiveness of holistic and isolated resistance training in improving soccer performance, highlighting their impact on strength, speed, power, and transfer to match situations to guide training program design. The method followed the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines, with literature searches conducted across four electronic databases (Web of Science, Scopus, SPORTDiscus, and PubMed) covering the period from 2021 to 2025. Out of 541 identified articles, 30 met the inclusion criteria and were qualitatively analyzed following a rigorous selection and qual-ity assessment process. Both approaches improve strength, speed, and power. Holistic training enhances match transfer and adaptation, while isolated training builds physical foundation. Combining both supports optimal performance and injury prevention. The in-tegration of holistic and isolated resistance training may offer complementary benefits, supporting both foundational physical development and the transfer of performance gains to match situations. This study finds that while isolated resistance training enhanc-es physical traits, it lacks match relevance. Holistic training better supports soccer perfor-mance, but further research is needed to refine its application. © 2025 by the authors.

Affiliations

Universitas Negeri Surabaya, Indonesia; STKIP PGRI Bangkalan, Indonesia; Universitas Madani Indonesia, Indonesia; Vinnytsia Mykhailo Kotsiubynskyi State Pedagogical University, Ukraine

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