Combined effects of verbal encouragement and motivational music on anaerobic performance in young soccer players: A randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Anaerobic performance is crucial for soccer success, yet optimal pre-competition strategies for young athletes remain unclear. Both verbal encouragement and motivational music have shown independent benefits, but their combined effects in pediatric populations are understudied, limiting evidence-based performance enhancement approaches. To investigate the individual and combined effects of verbal encouragement and self-selected motivational music on anaerobic performance metrics in young soccer players. METHODS: Twenty-eight male soccer players (age: 8.46 ± 0.64 years) completed a randomized crossover study with 4 conditions: placebo control with silent headphones and no verbal encouragement; music only with self-selected motivational music; verbal encouragement only with silent headphones; and combined music plus verbal encouragement. Performance was assessed using medicine ball throw test, sprint tests (5 m, 10 m, 20 m), modified agility T test, and Illinois agility tests with and without ball. All sessions were separated by at least 72 hours with standardized warm-up protocols. RESULTS: All 3 intervention conditions significantly enhanced performance compared to placebo across all measures (P ≤ .002). The combined condition demonstrated superior performance compared to individual interventions (P ≤ .002). Verbal encouragement alone showed marginally greater effects than music alone, reaching statistical significance in Illinois agility tests, modified agility T test, and 5 m/10 m sprints (P = .006-.001). Effect sizes were largest for the combined intervention across all performance parameters. CONCLUSION: Combined verbal encouragement and motivational music provides optimal anaerobic performance enhancement in young soccer players, suggesting coaches should integrate both strategies during pre-competition preparation. These findings support evidence-based multimodal approaches for youth athlete development, with immediate applications for training protocols and talent identification programs in pediatric sports medicine.