The Effect of Fartlex Training on Increasing VO2Max in Football Players

Abstract

Football requires players to maintain high-intensity performance, repeated sprint ability, and active recovery throughout the match. One of the key physiological components supporting these demands is maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max). Preliminary observations at Bank Sulselbar Football Academy indicated that several athletes experienced a decline in stamina after the 70th minute, which affected movement intensity and overall match performance. Therefore, an appropriate conditioning method is needed to improve aerobic capacity. This study aimed to determine the effect of fartlek training on increasing VO2max among football athletes at Bank Sulselbar Football Academy. This research used an experimental method with a pretest–posttest design. The independent variable was fartlek training, while the dependent variable was VO2max improvement. The research sample consisted of football athletes from Bank Sulselbar Football Academy, with the fartlek training group analyzed through pre-test and post-test measurements. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, normality testing, paired-sample t-test, and independent-sample t-test. The descriptive results showed that the mean VO2max score increased from 38.8000 in the pre-test to 41.0400 in the post-test, with an average improvement of 2.2400 points. The paired-sample t-test showed a t-count value of 8.806, higher than the t-table value of 1.833, with a significance value of 0.000 < 0.05. The independent-sample t-test also showed a significant difference, with t-count = 3.790 > t-table = 2.093 and Sig. = 0.000 < 0.05. These findings indicate that fartlek training significantly improves VO2max. Thus, fartlek training can be recommended as an effective, practical, and football-specific conditioning method to improve aerobic endurance among academy football athletes.