When do soccer players experience the most demanding passages of match play? A longitudinal study in a professional team

Analysis of peak locomotor demands in women's football-the influence of different epoch lengths

The quantification of peak locomotor demands has been gathering researchers' attention in the past years. Regardless of the different methodological approaches used, the most selected epochs are between 1-, 3-, 5- and 15-minutes time windows. However, the selection of these time frames is frequently arbitrary. The aim of this study was to analyse the peak locomotor demands of short time epochs (15, 30, 45, and 60 seconds) in women's football, with special emphasis over the high-speed metrics. During two seasons, the match physical performance of 100 female football players was collected with Global Positioning System units (STATSports Apex). Peak locomotor demands for the selected variables were calculated by using a 1-second moving average approach. For statistical procedures, linear mixed modelling was used, with total distance, high-speed running distance (>16 km∙h-1), sprint distance (>20 km∙h-1), and acceleration and deceleration distance (±2.26 m∙s-2) considered as the dependent variables and the epoch lengths (15, 30, 45, and 60 seconds) considered as the independent variables. A novel finding was the high ratio observed in the 15 seconds epochs of high-speed running distance and sprint distance (77.6% and 91.3%, respectively). The results show that most peak high-speed demands within 60 seconds are completed within just 15 seconds. Thus, intensity-related variables, such as high-speed metrics, would be better contextualised and adapted into training practices if analysed in shorter epoch lengths (15-30 seconds), while longer periods might be used for volume-related metrics (i.e., total distance), depending on the purpose of the analysis.

Changes in Physical Performance Throughout Professional Soccer Match-Play

ABSTRACT

Oliva-Lozano, JM, Granero-Gil, P, and Panascì, M. Changes in physical performance throughout professional soccer match-play. J Strength Cond Res 38(1): 123-127, 2024-The aim of this study was to explore the changes in physical performance by playing position throughout professional soccer match-play. Global Positioning Systems were used for the collection of external load measures during 35 matches. Each match was divided into 15-minute periods. Physical performance varied according to the period in distance covered ( F = 25.69; p < 0.001; partial eta-squared [ηp 2 ] = 0.11), sprinting distance (SPD, F = 4.35; p < 0.001; ηp 2 = 0.02), sprinting actions (SPAs, F = 5.19; p < 0.001), high-intensity accelerations (Acc+3, F = 2.18; p = 0.05; ηp 2 = 0.01), high-intensity decelerations (Dec+3, F = 4.51; p < 0.001; ηp 2 = 0.02), and high-metabolic load distance (HMLD, F = 5.59; p < 0.001; ηp 2 = 0.03). The period with the greatest mean physical performance was usually from the first half of the matches: 0-15 minutes (distance, Acc+3, and Dec+3) and 30-45 minutes (HMLD, SPA, and SPD). However, the lowest mean physical performance compared with the rest of 15-minute periods was observed in the 60-75-minute period (distance, HMLD, Acc+3, and Dec+3), except for SPA and SPD (15-30 minutes and 75-90 minutes). Overall, no significant differences ( p > 0.05) were observed in the physical performance between the extratime periods. In addition, the playing position had a significant effect on all performance variables ( F = 39.99-133.29; p < 0.001; ηp 2 = 0.14-0.34). Central defenders showed the lowest physical performance throughout the periods of match-play, whereas wide midfielders showed the greatest physical performance in all variables, except for distance covered, in which midfielders had the greatest performance. In conclusion, there were changes in physical performance during the matches depending on the period of match-play and playing position.

The Effects of Players' Rotations on High-Intensity Activities in Professional Futsal Players

The current study aimed to investigate the effects of interchange rotations on players` physical performance during competition, with special reference to high-intensity activity (HIA) according to the playing position. Physical performance data, collected from 19 professional players during seven official matches from the Spanish futsal league using a portable local positioning system, included the number of high-speed running activities (>18 km·h-1), high-intensity accelerations (>3 m·s-2), and high-intensity decelerations (>3 m·s-2). Statistically significant (p ≤ 0.05) differences were observed in the number of HIA efforts across rotations and between positions. Players performed more HIA efforts in the first rotation (n = 17.6), suggesting that their first rotation was more demanding than all subsequent rotations. Wingers demonstrated a higher HIA effort and frequency of HIA efforts when compared to defenders (p ≤ 0.05) and pivots (p ≤ 0.001). For all positions, the first rotation was more physically demanding as the number of HIA efforts per rotation decreased with an increased number of rotations throughout the match. Furthermore, higher HIA profile positions, such as wingers and defenders, were less likely to maintain consistent HIA properties (repetition number, time-frequency, and the work-rate) across subsequent rotations during the match. The findings of the study can inform coaching decisions regarding players' rotations to maintain consistent HIA performance throughout the match.

Using Microtechnology and the Fourier Transform for the Analysis of Effective Activity Time in Professional Soccer

ABSTRACT

Oliva-Lozano, JM, Chmura, P, Granero-Gil, P, and Muyor, JM. Using microtechnology and the Fourier Transform for the analysis of effective activity time in professional soccer. J Strength Cond Res 37(12): 2491-2495, 2023-This study aimed to investigate the use of the fast Fourier transform (FFT) for the analysis of effective activity time in professional soccer by (a) exploring the relationship between this variable and standard external load parameters and (b) analyzing the effective activity time during official professional soccer matches. Twenty-six male players participated in the study. Each player was categorized as midfielder, central defender, full-back, wide-midfielder, or forward. Tracking systems based on inertial sensors (4 3D accelerometers, 3 3D gyroscopes, and 1 magnetometer), and global positioning systems technology were used to collect external load measures for 35 matches. Each match was analyzed considering 15-minute periods to explore the evolution of effective activity time during the matches. The extra time from each match was also included. Fast Fourier transform duration may be a representative variable of effective activity time, given the strong positive correlation with the external load variables ( p < 0.001). The linear regression analysis showed that the variables that significantly contributed to the model ( R2 = 0.97) were the total of steps and the distance covered. The mean effective activity time in soccer match play was ∼48.69 minutes. This time significantly changed depending on factors such as the period of the match ( F = 239.05; p < 0.001; ηp 2 = 0.60) or playing position ( F = 16.99; p < 0.001; ηp 2 = 0.06). The greatest effective activity time was observed for all playing positions in the 0'-15' period. However, the 60'-75' period showed the lowest effective activity times compared with the rest of the 15-minute periods for all positions except for forwards (75'-90'). From a practical standpoint, sports performance practitioners may consider these results to improve the individualization of training and match demands. Also, a more accurate indicator of exercise intensity may be obtained (e.g., multiplying the rating of perceived exertion by the effective activity time).

When and How Do Soccer Players From a Semi-Professional Club Sprint in Match Play?

The aims of this study were to investigate the periods in which sprints occurred during official matches and analyze these sprints considering the effect of the playing position and different contextual variables. Electronic performance and tracking systems were used for the analysis of all sprints performed by players. Matches were recorded by video and synchronized with performance tracking data. A total of 252 sprints were analyzed. The greatest frequency of sprints was observed in the period 1 (0’–15’), followed by period 2 (15’–30’) and period 6 (75’–90’), regardless of the playing position (χ2 = 31.35; p = 0.051). Most sprints were non-linear (non-linear sprints: 97.6%; linear sprints: 2.4%) and without ball possession (without ball possession: 95.2%; with ball possession: 4.8%) for all playing positions, but the role of the sprint and the field area in which the sprint occurred were dependent on the position (p < 0.001). Specifically, players covered ~17.55 m per sprint, starting at ~10.34 km/h, reaching ~26.74 km/h, maximally accelerating at ~2.73 m/s2, and decelerating at ~3.61 m/s2. Overall, the playing position and contextual variables had no significant effect on physical performance variables analyzed during these sprints. Therefore, this study allows performance practitioners to have a better understanding of when and how soccer players sprint in match-play. In this regard, this study presents some training and testing strategies that may be considered to improve performance and decrease injury risk.

Identification of Sports Athletes' High-Strength Sports Injuries Based on NMR

In order to study the high-strength sports injury in sports, this paper proposes a method based on NMR to identify the high-strength sports injury of sports athletes. This method carries out a questionnaire survey and research on the athletes who are excellent in sports dance major from 2019 to 2021 in the Institute of Physical Education. The athletes' age range is 18-25 years, and the training period of sports dance is 3-5 years. The results show that compared with other recognition methods, the recognition method based on NMR has higher accuracy and efficiency. The method of this study is helpful to improve the recognition efficiency and accuracy. Athletes are very easy to get injured during sports. In order to reduce the degree of injury of athletes, we should strictly follow the action standards in the training process to avoid serious injury.

When and How do Professional Soccer Players Experience Maximal Intensity Sprints in Laliga?

This study aimed to 1) examine the periods in which maximal intensity sprints occurred during professional soccer matches and 2) analyze the maximal intensity sprints registered in match play considering the effect of playing position and other contextual variables. A total of 1252 match observations were collected from 277 male professional soccer players. Sprinting actions at maximal intensity were analyzed during 30 official matches, and both contextual and performance variables were collected using electronic performance and tracking systems. Maximal intensity sprints were more frequent in the first and last periods of the match (0'-15'; 75'-90'), regardless of the playing position (χ²=23.01; p=0.29; ES=0.07). These sprints were usually non-linear actions without possession of the ball and had different tactical purposes depending on the playing position. In addition, regarding the physical performance required by maximal intensity sprints, that the mean sprint duration ranged from ~4.9 s to ~9 s, the mean distance covered ranged from ~30 m to ~55 m, while the mean maximum velocity was between ~30.12 and ~32.80 km/h depending on the tactical purpose and playing position. In conclusion, professional soccer players need to be prepared during warm-ups for maximal intensity sprints in the first period of the match as well as maximal intensity sprints under high fatigue conditions given the frequency of sprints in the last period of the match. Also, training drills should be designed with a special focus on non-linear sprints without possession of the ball, based on the main tactical purpose of each position (e.g., CD: interceptions; MF: recovery runs; FB, WMF and FW: run the channel).