The aims of this study were to (1) determine the activity profiles of a large sample of English FA Premier League soccer players and (2) examine high-intensity running during elite-standard soccer matches for players in various playing positions. Twenty-eight English FA Premier League games were analysed during the 2005–2006 competitive season (n = 370), using a multi-camera computerised tracking system. During a typical match, wide midfielders (3138 m, s = 565) covered a greater distance in high-intensity running than central midfielders (2825 m, s = 473, P = 0.04), full-backs (2605 m, s = 387, P < 0.01), attackers (2341 m, s = 575, P < 0.01), and central defenders (1834 m, s = 256, P < 0.01). In the last 15 min of a game, high-intensity running distance was ∼20% less than in the first 15-min period for wide midfielders (467 m, s = 104 vs. 589 m, s = 134, P < 0.01), central midfielders (429 m, s = 106 vs. 534 m, s = 99, P < 0.01), full-backs (389 m, s = 95 vs. 481 m, s = 114, P < 0.01), attacker...

High-intensity running in English FA Premier League soccer matches

This study examined the influence of the opposing team, seasonal variations and the influence of first half activity on match performance in top-level soccer players. Physical performance measures were collected using the ProZone match analysis system from 20 professional soccer players from the same team and their opponents (n = 188) during a season. Match activities (standing, walking, jogging, running, high-speed running and sprinting), distances (total distance [TD], high-intensity running [HIR] and very high-intensity running [VHIR]) and other measures including involvement with the ball and peak running speed were collected. The influence of opponent team, the level of opposition, first half physical activities on second half activities, and playing position were analysed. The main finding was that TD (r = 0.62, p < 0.05), HIR (r = 0.51, p < 0.05), and VHIR (r = 0.65, p < 0.05) of the reference team was influenced by the activity profile of the opponent teams. The TD and HIR was higher against Best opponent teams compared to Worst opponent teams (p < 0.05), and the TD, HIR and VHIR travelled in the first half significantly influenced the distances covered in the second half. TD, HIR and VHIR were greater at the end of the season. These results may be used to interpret meaningful changes in match performance in top level soccer.

Variation in top level soccer match performance.

The present study aimed to analyse the influence of speed and power abilities in goal situations in professional football. During the second half of the season 2007/08, videos of 360 goals in the first German national league were analysed by visual inspection. For the assisting and the scoring player the situations immediately preceding the goal were evaluated. The observed actions were categorised as: no powerful action, rotation (around the body's centre-line), straight sprint, change-in-direction sprint, jump, or a combination of those categories. Two hundred and ninety-eight (83%) goals were preceded by at least one powerful action of the scoring or the assisting player. Most actions for the scoring player were straight sprints (n = 161, 45% of all analysed goals, P < 0.001) followed by jumps (n = 57, 16%), rotations and change-in-direction sprints (n = 22, 6% each). Most sprints were conducted without an opponent (n = 109, P < 0.001) and without the ball (n = 121, P < 0.001). Similarly, for ...

Straight sprinting is the most frequent action in goal situations in professional football

Purpose:Video match analysis is used for the assessment of physical performances of professional soccer players, particularly for the identification of "high intensities" considered as "high running speeds." However, accelerations are also essential elements setting metabolic loads, even whe

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Energy cost and metabolic power in elite soccer: a new match analysis approach.

Performance testing is one of the most common and important measures used in sports science and physiology. Performance tests allow for a controlled simulation of sports and exercise performance for research or applied science purposes. There are three factors that contribute to a good performance test: (i) validity; (ii) reliability; and (iii) sensitivity. A valid protocol is one that resembles the performance that is being simulated as closely as possible. When investigating race-type events, the two most common protocols are time to exhaustion and time trials. Time trials have greater validity than time to exhaustion because they provide a good physiological simulation of actual performance and correlate with actual performance. Sports such as soccer are more difficult to simulate. While shuttle-running protocols such as the Loughborough Intermittent Shuttle Test may simulate physiology of soccer using time to exhaustion or distance covered, it is not a valid measure of soccer performance. There is a need to include measures of skill in such protocols. Reliability is the variation of a protocol. Research has shown that time-to-exhaustion protocols have a coefficient of variation (CV) of >10%, whereas time trials are more reliable as they have been shown to have a CV of <5%. A sensitive protocol is one that is able to detect small, but important, changes in performance. The difference between finishing first and second in a sporting event is <1%. Therefore, it is important to be able to detect small changes with performance protocols. A quantitative value of sensitivity may be accomplished through the signal : noise ratio, where the signal is the percentage improvement in performance and the noise is the CV.

Validity, Reliability and Sensitivity of Measures of Sporting Performance

The paper provides a large-scale study into the motion characteristics of top class soccer players, during match play, according to playing position. Three hundred top-class outfield soccer players were monitored during 20 Spanish Premier League and 10 Champions League games using a computerized match analysis system (Amisco Pro ® , Nice, France). Total distance covered in five selected categories of intensity, and the mean percentage of playing time spent in each activity were analyzed according to playing position. Midfield players covered a significantly greater total distance (p < 0.0001) than the groups of defenders and forwards did. Analyzing the different work rates showed significant differences (p < 0.5 – 0.0001) between the different playing positions. There were no significant differences between halves in the total distance covered, or in distances covered at submaximal and maximal intensities. However, significantly more distance was covered in the first half compared to the second in medium intensities (11.1 – 19 km/h). The current findings provide a detailed description of the demands placed on elite soccer players, according to their positional role at different work intensities, which may be helpful in the development of individualized training programs.

Performance Characteristics According to Playing Position in Elite Soccer

Introduction: Changes in echocardiographic standard measurements as a consequence of training and detraining in elite or subelite athletes have not been comprehensively studied. Methods: We identified 200 potentially relevant studies from 1966 to June 2006 and eliminated 187 studies that did not fulfil the objectives of the study. We identified 13 studies with echocardiographic assessment of heart adaptation following variation in training loads in elite or subelite endurance-trained athletes. We performed a meta-analysis by studying the changes in the left ventricular end-diastolic (LVEDD), left ventricular end-systolic (LVESD), left ventricular posterior wall (LVPW) and interventricular septum thickness (IVST) dimensions induced by training. Results: A significant positive overall effect size on echocardiographic outcomes was found following training, using the fixed effect model on LVPW, LVEDD, LVESD and IVST. LVPW and LVEDD were significantly higher following training. Conclusion: Studies reported an increase in LVEDD and LVPW, following endurance training. However, the heterogeneity of the studies and the sensitivity of echocardiography technique can be two reasons, for which the results do not allow to state unequivocally that the adaptation to endurance training of highly trained hearts stems from increments of diastolic diameter of the left ventricle and lateral wall of the left ventricle (LVPW).

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Cardiac adaptation to training and decreased training loads in endurance athletes: a systematic review

700 pruebas de esfuerzo a futbolistas. Una gran parte de los futbolistas fueron valorados varias veces en el trascurso de estos años. Para este estudio hemos seleccionado a 194 futbolistas diferentes, en el primer año que realizaban una prueba de esfuerzo máxima en nuestro laboratorio y que cumplían los siguientes criterios de selección: Antes de la inclusión definitiva de los datos, los futbolistas debían cumplir los siguientes criterios: • Las totalidades de las pruebas realizadas corresponden a futbolistas diferentes. • Todos los deportistas seleccionados eran en el momento de realización de la prueba futbolistas profesionales. • Todas las pruebas seleccionadas se realizaron al comenzar la temporada futbolistica, entre los meses de Julio y Agosto. • Todas las pruebas de esfuerzo seleccionadas cumplían los criterios de maximalidad, descartándose aquellas pruebas que, aunque el futbolista parase por referir agotamiento subjetivo, no cumplieran dichos criterios. • La toma de medidas se habia realizado desde el comienzo de la prueba hasta al menos tres minutos después de concluida la misma. • Por otro lado los futbolistas debían de cumplir los siguientes Introducción

Parámetros ergoespirométricos en futbolistas profesionales. Estudio comparativo entre jugadores de primera y segunda división

Sous Sánchez, J.*; Ruiz Caballero, J. A.**; Brito Ojeda, E. M.a**; Navarro García, R.*; Navarro Valdivielso, M. E.**; Calderón Montero, F. J.*** * Departamento de Ciencias Médicas y Quirúrgicas. ** Departamento de Educación Física.Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Hospital Universitario Insular de Gran Canaria. *** Facultad de Ciencias de la Actividad Física y el Deporte. INEF. Universidad Politécnica de Madrid.

Técnicas de exploración cardiaca y su aplicación en el deporte

Legido Arce, J. C.*; Calderón Montero, F. J.**; Benito Peinado, P. J.***; Ruiz Caballero, J. A.****; Brito Ojeda, E. M.a****; Navarro García, R.**** * Catedrático de Fisiología. Director de la Escuela de Especialistas en Medicina de la Educación Física y el Deporte. Facultad de Medicina. Universidad Complutense de Madrid. ** Profesor Titular de la Facultad de Ciencias de la Actividad Física y del Deporte. INEF. Universidad Politécnica de Madrid *** Doctor en Ciencias de la Actividad Física y del Deporte. Profesor Ayudante Contratado en la Facultad de Ciencias de la Actividad Física y del Deporte. INEF. Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. **** Profesores Titulares del Departamentos de Ciencias Médicas y Quirúrgicas y Departamento de Educación Física. Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

F.J. Calderón Montero

Papers

Performance Characteristics According to Playing Position in Elite Soccer

Cardiac adaptation to training and decreased training loads in endurance athletes: a systematic review

Parámetros ergoespirométricos en futbolistas profesionales. Estudio comparativo entre jugadores de primera y segunda división

Técnicas de exploración cardiaca y su aplicación en el deporte

Adaptación cardiaca al entrenamiento