Abstract
The importance of aerobic performance in youth soccer is well established. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the contributions of chronological age (CA), skeletal age (SA), body size, and training to the longitudinal development of aerobic performance in youth male soccer players aged 10 to 18 years. Players (n=83) were annually followed up during 5 years, resulting in an average of 4.4 observations per player. Decimal CA was calculated, and SA, stature, body weight, and aerobic performance were measured once per year. Fat-free mass (FFM) was estimated from age- and gender-specific anthropometric formulas, and annual volume training was recorded. After testing for multicollinearity, multilevel regression modeling was used to analyze the longitudinal data aligned by CA and SA (Model 1 and 2, respectively) and to develop aerobic performance scores. The following equations provide estimations of the aerobic performance for young soccer players: ŷ(Model 1 [deviance from the null model =388.50; P<0.01]) =57.75+9.06×centered CA-0.57×centered CA(2)+0.03×annual volume training and ŷ(Model 2 [deviance from the null model=327.98; P<0.01])=13.03+4.04×centered SA-0.12×centered SA(2)+0.99×FFM+0.03×annual volume training. The development of aerobic performance in young soccer players was found to be significantly related to CA, biological development, and volume of training.
Highlights
Match analysis of elite soccer has indicated that high-intensity actions are important in soccer [1], but with players covering an average of approximately 8–12 km during a single match [2], soccer is largely dependent upon a high level of aerobic capacity [3]
The development of aerobic performance in young soccer players was found to be significantly related to chronological age (CA), biological development, and volume of training
This study developed a multilevel model that better predicts the aerobic performance of adolescent male soccer players taking into account the athlete’s chronological age, biological age (i.e., skeletal age (SA)), physique, and training
Summary
Match analysis of elite soccer has indicated that high-intensity actions are important in soccer [1], but with players covering an average of approximately 8–12 km during a single match [2], soccer is largely dependent upon a high level of aerobic capacity [3]. Variation in size and performance associated with interindividual differences in biological maturation are especially important during the transition into and during adolescence in male soccer players. Relationships between biological (i.e., sexual) maturity and maximal O2 uptake in youth soccer players (12–19 years) have been previously addressed [6]. Previous studies were cross-sectional [3, 5, 7,8,9] and did not permit a clear distinction between the effects of growth, maturation and the effects of training on functional capacities. Longitudinal studies that simultaneously explore the effects of changes and relative contribution of body size and composition, biological maturation, and training and competition on aerobic capacity development in youth soccer players are needed
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