Effects of a four-week ladder drill training program on dribbling performance in u-14 youth soccer players: a quasi-experimental study
Putra Jawara, Alex Aldha Yudi, Ardo Okilanda, Afrizal Afrizal · JPGI (Jurnal Penelitian Guru Indonesia) · 2026
Dribbling is a fundamental technical skill that strongly influences both individual and team performance in youth football. Ladder-based coordination training has been proposed as an effective
Method: to improve footwork, coordination, and neuromuscular qualities associated with dribbling ability. This study aimed to determine the effect of a four-week ladder drill training program on the dribbling performance of youth players at SSB Elang Perkasa Padang, Indonesia. A quasi-experimental study with a one-group pretest–posttest
Design: was conducted involving 16 male U-14 players selected through total sampling. Dribbling performance was assessed using the slalom dribbling test before and after a four-week intervention consisting of 16 ladder drill sessions (four sessions per week, 40–60 minutes each). Data were analyzed using the Liliefors normality test and paired-samples t-test (α = 0.05), with Cohen's dz, percentage improvement, and 95% confidence intervals reported. Both datasets were normally distributed. Mean dribbling time significantly improved from 14.67 ± 1.65 s to 14.36 ± 1.62 s, t(15) = 6.48, p < 0.001, 95% CI [0.21, 0.42], representing a 2.13% improvement. The effect size was large (Cohen's dz = 1.62). Although the absolute improvement was relatively small, the statistically significant change and large standardized effect indicate that short-term ladder drill training can effectively enhance dribbling performance. Therefore, ladder drills are recommended as an efficient and practical complementary training
method for grassroots football development.