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The role and development of sprinting speed in soccer

The overall objective of this review was to investigate the role and development of sprinting speed in soccer. Time-motion analyses show that short sprints occur frequently during soccer games. Straight sprinting is the most frequent action before goals, both for the scoring and assisting player. Straight-line sprinting velocity (both acceleration and maximal sprinting speed), certain agility skills, and repeated-sprint ability are shown to distinguish groups from different performance levels. Professional players have become faster over time, indicating that sprinting skills are becoming more and more important in modern soccer. In research literature, the majority of soccer-related training interventions have provided positive effects on sprinting capabilities, leading to the assumption that all kinds of training can be performed with success. However, most successful intervention studies are time consuming and challenging to incorporate into the overall soccer training program. Even though the principle of specificity is clearly present, several questions remain regarding the optimal training methods within the larger context of the team-sport setting. Considering time-efficiency effects, soccer players may benefit more by performing sprint-training regimens similar to the progression model used in strength training and by world-leading athletics practitioners, compared with the majority of guidelines that traditionally have been presented in research literature.

The Road to Gold: Training and Peaking Characteristics in the Year Prior to a Gold Medal Endurance Performance

Purpose To describe training variations across the annual cycle in Olympic and World Champion endurance athletes, and determine whether these athletes used tapering strategies in line with recommendations in the literature. Methods Eleven elite XC skiers and biathletes (4 male; 28±1 yr, 85±5 mL. min−1. kg−1 , 7 female, 25±4 yr, 73±3 mL. min−1. kg−1 ) reported one year of day-to-day training leading up to the most successful competition of their career. Training data were divided into periodization and peaking phases and distributed into training forms, intensity zones and endurance activity forms. Results Athletes trained ∼800 h/500 sessions.year−1, including ∼500 h. year−1 of sport-specific training. Ninety-four percent of all training was executed as aerobic endurance training. Of this, ∼90% was low intensity training (LIT, below the first lactate threshold) and 10% high intensity training (HIT, above the first lactate threshold) by time. Categorically, 23% of training sessions were characterized as HIT with primary portions executed at or above the first lactate turn point. Training volume and specificity distribution conformed to a traditional periodization model, but absolute volume of HIT remained stable across phases. However, HIT training patterns tended to become more polarized in the competition phase. Training volume, frequency and intensity remained unchanged from pre-peaking to peaking period, but there was a 32±15% (P<.01) volume reduction from the preparation period to peaking phase. Conclusions The annual training data for these Olympic and World champion XC skiers and biathletes conforms to previously reported training patterns of elite endurance athletes. During the competition phase, training became more sport-specific, with 92% performed as XC skiing. However, they did not follow suggested tapering practice derived from short-term experimental studies. Only three out of 11 athletes took a rest day during the final 5 days prior to their most successful competition.

Validity and reliability of the Newtest Powertimer 300-series® testing system

Abstract The aim of the present study was to assess the reliability and validity of the Newtest Powertimer 300-series® portable contact mat and photocells (Newtest Oy, Finland). The participants were 20 male soccer players aged 19.1±3.5 years. The validity and reliability of the Powertimer (contact mat and photocells) were assessed in a comparison of a laboratory testing method (force platform and photocells) and the Newtest Powertimer system. All participants were tested on 40-m sprint, countermovement jump, and squat jump. The results showed that the Powertimer was a reliable instrument for both jumping and running. The system did not show any marked systematic bias (P < 0.05) and the random error associated with it was negligible. A comparison of the laboratory testing method with the Powertimer revealed that the Powertimer contact mat and photocells had poor validity and the bias in measurement differed from that of the laboratory testing method (P < 0.05). The Newtest Powertimer testing system was shown to be a useful instrument for measuring jump height and running speed. However, if a comparison of overall values of jumping height is intended, it is important to use the same testing system, because different systems give different results. It is also advisable to use this equipment only if no other “gold standard” equipment is available.

THE DIFFERENCE IS IN THE START: IMPACT OF TIMING AND START PROCEDURE ON SPRINT RUNNING PERFORMANCE

Haugen, TA, Tønnessen, E, and Seiler, SK. The difference is in the start: impact of timing and start procedure on sprint running performance. J Strength Cond Res 26(2): 473–479, 2012—The difference is in the start: impact of timing and start procedure on sprint running performance. The purpose of this study was to compare different sprint start positions and to generate correction factors between popular timing triggering methods on 40-m/40-yd sprint time. Fourteen female athletes (17 ± 1 years), personal best 100 m: 13.26 (±0.68) seconds and 11 male athletes (20 ± 5 years), personal best 100 m: 11.58 (±0.74) seconds participated. They performed 2 series of 3 40-m sprints in randomized order: (a) start from the block, measured by means of Brower audio sensor (BAS) and Dartfish video timing (DVT), (b) 3-point start, measured by using hand release pod (HR) and DVT, and (c) standing start, triggered by both photocell across starting line (SFC), and foot release (FR) plus DVT. Video analysis was performed by 2 independent observers and averaged. Simultaneous measurements at national athletics competitions demonstrated that DVT and BAS were equivalent to Omega Timing within the limits of precision of video timing (±0.01 seconds). Hand and floor timer triggering showed small but significant biases compared with movement captured from video (0.02–0.04 seconds), presumably because of sensitivity of pressure thresholds. Coefficient of variation for test-retest timing using different starting positions ranged from 0.7 to 1.0%. Compared with block starts reacting to gunfire, HR, SFC, and FR starts yielded 0.17 ± 0.09, 0.27 ± 0.12, and 0.69 ± 0.11 second faster times, respectively, over 40 m (all p < 0.001) because of inclusion or exclusion of reaction time, plus momentum, and body position differences at trigger moment. Correction factors for the conversion of 40 m/40 yd and 40 yd/40 m were 0.92 and 1.08, respectively. The correction factors obtained from this study may facilitate more meaningful comparisons of published sprint performances.

The effect of high- vs. low-intensity training on aerobic capacity in well-trained male middle-distance runners.

Enoksen, E, Shalfawi, SAI, and Tønnessen, E. The effect of high- vs. low-intensity training on aerobic capacity in well-trained male middle-distance runners. J Strength Cond Res 25(3): 812-818, 2011-The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of 2 different intervention training regimes on &OV0312;o2max, &OV0312;o2max velocity (v&OV0312;o2max), running economy (RE), lactic threshold velocity (vLT), and running performance on a group of well-trained male middle-distance runners in the precompetition period. Twenty-six well-trained male middle-distance runners took part in the study. All participants were tested on &OV0312;o2max, v&OV0312;o2max, RE, lactate threshold (LT), vLT, and a performance test. The participants were matched according to their pretest results, then randomly assigned into 1 of 2 groups, a high-volume (70 km) low-intensity training group (HVLI-group); or a high-intensity low-volume (50 km) training group (HILV-group). No significant differences were found between the 2 groups on all measures both before and after the intervention period. Furthermore, the HILV-group had a marked increase in v&OV0312;o2max and vLT after the training period when compared with pretest. Both groups had a marked improvement in RE. The performance test showed that the HILV-group made 301 ± 886 m (1.0 ± 2.8 minutes) and the HVLI-group 218 ± 546 m (0.9 ± 1.8 minutes) in progress. The production of lactic acid was notably higher in the HILV-group (0.9 mmol) when compared with the pretest. The findings show that male middle-distance runners tested in this study improved in v&OV0312;o2max and vLT more when they train around LT, than training with low intensity for a short period of 10 weeks.

The Relationship Between Running Speed and Measures of Vertical Jump in Professional Basketball Players: A Field-Test Approach

Shalfawi, SAI, Sabbah, A, Kailani, G, Tønnessen, E, and Enoksen, E. The relationship between running speed and measures of vertical jump in professional basketball players: A field-test approach. J Strength Cond Res 25(11): 3088–3092, 2011—The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between vertical jump measures and sprint speed over 10, 20, and 40 m in professional basketball players. Thirty-three professional basketball players aged (±SD) (27.4 ± 3.3 years), body mass (89.8 ± 11.1 kg), and stature (192 ± 8.2 cm) volunteered to participate in this study. All participants were tested on squat jump, countermovement jump, and 40-m running speed. The results show that all jump measures in absolute terms were correlated significantly to running performance over 10-, 20-, and 40-m sprint times. None of the jumping performance peak powers and reactive strength were found to have a correlation to running speed times in absolute term. Furthermore, all jump height measures relative to body mass except reactive strength had a marked and significant relationship with all sprint performance times. The results of this study indicate that while there is a strong and marked relationship between 10-, 20-, and 40-m sprint, there is also a considerable variation within the factors that contribute to performance over these distances. This may indicate that, separate training strategies could be implemented to improve running speed over these distances.

Training-related and competition-related risk factors for respiratory tract and gastrointestinal infections in elite cross-country skiers

Aim To examine symptoms indicative of respiratory tract and gastrointestinal infections and determine risk factors for such symptoms in elite cross-country skiers. Methods Self-reported training and symptom data for 37 elite cross-country skiers from 2007 to 2015 were analysed using multilevel logistic regression equations with symptom incidence and duration as outcome variables, and sex, performance level, season, competition, air travel, altitude exposure and training characteristics as independent variables. Results Data for 7016 person-weeks were analysed, including 464 self-reported infection events and 110 959 h of training. Athletes reported median (range) 3 (1–7) respiratory tract and/or gastrointestinal events per year, with symptoms lasting 5 (1–24) days. During the winter, symptoms occurred more frequently (OR 2.09, p<0.001) and lasted longer (b=0.043, p<0.001) compared with summer. Competition and air travel increased the risk of symptoms, with ORs of 2.93 (95% CI 2.24 to 3.83) and 4.94 (95% CI 3.74 to 6.53), respectively (p<0.001). Athletes with higher training monotony had lower risk of symptoms (OR 0.87 (95% CI 0.73 to 0.99), p<0.05). Other training variables were not associated with symptoms. Athletes who had won an Olympic/World Championship medal reported shorter symptom duration compared with less successful athletes (b=−0.019, p<0.05) resulting in significantly fewer symptomatic days/year (14 (6–29) vs 22 (8–43) days/year). Conclusions Air travel and competition are major risk factors for acute respiratory tract and gastrointestinal symptoms in this population. Athletes who have large fluctuations in training load experience such symptoms more frequently. Shorter duration of symptoms appears to be associated with success in cross-country skiing.

Performance effects of 6 weeks of aerobic production training in junior elite soccer players.

Abstract Ingebrigtsen, J, Shalfawi, SAI, Tønnessen, E, Krustrup, P, and Holtermann, A. Performance effects of 6 weeks of aerobic production training in junior elite soccer players. J Strength Cond Res 27(7): 1861–1867, 2013—This study investigates the performance effects of a 6-week biweekly anaerobic speed endurance production training among junior elite soccer players. Sixteen junior (age 16.9 ± 0.6 years) elite soccer players were tested in the Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery test level 2 (IR2), 10-m and 35-m sprints, 7 × 35-m repeated-sprint ability (RSA) tests, countermovement jump and squat jump tests, and randomly assigned to either a control group (CG) performing their normal training schedule, which included 4 weekly soccer training sessions of approximately 90 minutes, or a training group performing anaerobic speed endurance production training twice weekly for 6 weeks in addition to their normal weekly schedule. We found that the intervention group significantly improved (p < 0.05) their performance in the Yo-Yo IR2 (63 ± 74 m) and 10-m sprint time (−0.06 ± 0.06 seconds). No significant performance changes were found in the CG. Between-group pretest to posttest differences were found for 10-m sprint times (p < 0.05). No significant changes were observed in the 35-m sprint times, RSA, or jump performances. These results indicate that short-term anaerobic production training is effective in improving acceleration and intermittent exercise performance among well-trained junior elite players.

Performance Development in Adolescent Track and Field Athletes According to Age, Sex and Sport Discipline

Introduction Sex-specific differences that arise during puberty have a pronounced effect on the training process. However, the consequences this should have for goal-setting, planning and implementation of training for boys and girls of different ages remains poorly understood. The aim of this study was to quantify performance developments in athletic running and jumping disciplines in the age range 11-18 and identify progression differences as a function of age, discipline and sex. Methods The 100 all-time best Norwegian male and female 60-m, 800-m, long jump and high jump athletes in each age category from 11 to 18 years were analysed using mixed models with random intercept according to athlete. Results Male and female athletes perform almost equally in running and jumping events up to the age of 12. Beyond this age, males outperform females. Relative annual performance development in females gradually decreases throughout the analyzed age period. In males, annual relative performance development accelerates up to the age of 13 (for running events) or 14 (for jumping events) and then gradually declines when approaching 18 years of age. The relative improvement from age 11 to 18 was twice as high in jumping events compared to running events. For all of the analyzed disciplines, overall improvement rates were >50% higher for males than for females. The performance sex difference evolves from < 5% to 10-18% in all the analyzed disciplines from age 11 to 18 yr. Conclusion To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to present absolute and relative annual performance developments in running and jumping events for competitive athletes from early to late adolescence. These results allow coaches and athletes to set realistic goals and prescribe conditioning programs that take into account sex-specific differences in the rate of performance development at different stages of maturation.

Maximal Aerobic Capacity in the Winter-Olympics Endurance Disciplines: Olympic-Medal Benchmarks for the Time Period 1990–2013

PURPOSE To generate updated Olympic-medal benchmarks for VO2max in winter endurance disciplines, examine possible differences in VO2max between medalists and nonmedalists, and calculate gender difference in V˙ O2max based on a homogeneous subset of world-leading endurance athletes. METHODS The authors identified 111 athletes who participated in winter Olympic Games/World Championships in the period 1990 to 2013. All identified athletes tested VO2max at the Norwegian Olympic Training Center within ±1 y of their championship performance. Testing procedures were consistent throughout the entire period. RESULTS For medal-winning athletes, the following relative VO2max values (mean:95% confidence intervals) for men/women were observed (mL · min-1 · kg-1): 84:87-81/72:77-68 for cross-country distance skiing, 78:81-75/68:73-64 for cross-country sprint skiing, 81:84-78/67:73-61 for biathlon, and 77:80-75 for Nordic combined (men only). Similar benchmarks for absolute VO2max (L/min) in male/female athletes are 6.4:6.1-6.7/4.3:4.1-4.5 for cross-country distance skiers, 6.3:5.8-6.8/4.0:3.7-4.3 for cross-country sprint skiers, 6.2:5.7-6.4/4.0:3.7-4.3 for biathletes, and 5.3:5.0-5.5 for Nordic combined (men only). The difference in relative VO2max between medalists and nonmedalists was large for Nordic combined, moderate for cross-country distance and biathlon, and small/trivial for the other disciplines. Corresponding differences in absolute VO2max were small/trivial for all disciplines. Male cross-country medalists achieve 15% higher relative VO2max than corresponding women. CONCLUSIONS This study provides updated benchmark VO2max values for Olympic-medal-level performance in winter endurance disciplines and can serve as a guideline of the requirements for future elite athletes.