Aims: This study aimed to investigate the effects of a three-day step taper on lower-limb explosive power, repeated-sprint performance, and physical and physiological parameters during sport-specific exercises in professional soccer players. Methods: The study involved 26 outfield professional soccer players from the same team (age: 28.7±4.3 years; body mass: 71.8±7.2 kg; height: 173.7±4.3 cm). Following a 4-week mesocycle of progressive training load, players were randomly assigned to a taper group (TG; n = 13), which underwent a three-day step taper with a 50% reduction in training duration while maintaining intensity, and a control group (CG; n = 13), which maintained their routine. Both groups performed two Countermovement jumps with arm swing (CMJAS), a 5×30-m repeated-sprint test, and a Small-Sided Game (SSG) before and after the step tapering. Training load was monitored using the session rating of perceived exertion (sRPE) method. Results: The results indicated that the TG improved CMJAS height (large effect; d = 1.5; p < 0.01) and decreased peak and total time during repeated sprints (small effect; d = 0.3; p < 0.05). It also enhanced the total covered distance (small effect; d = 0.3; p < 0.05), as well as accelerations and decelerations during the SSG (moderate effect; d = 0.8 and d = 0.6, respectively; p < 0.05). In contrast, the CG showed significant decreases in CMJAS height (moderate effect; d = 1; p < 0.01) and increases total sprint times (small effect; d = 0.4; p < 0.05), indicating reduced performance, with no significant changes in SSG metrics. Conclusions: The study indicates that a 3-day step taper with a 50% reduction in training duration, while keeping intensity and frequency, effectively improves repeated-sprint ability and explosive power in professional soccer players, without performance loss from prior high training loads.
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