Abstract
Soccer is an intermittent team-sport, where performance is determined by a myriad of psychological, technical, tactical, and physical factors. Among the physical factors, endurance appears to play a key role into counteracting the fatigue-related reduction in running performance observed during soccer matches. One physiological determinant of endurance is movement economy, which represents the aerobic energy cost to exercise at a given submaximal velocity. While the role of movement economy has been extensively examined in endurance athletes, it has received little attention in soccer players, but may be an important factor, given the prolonged demands of match play. For this reason, the current review discusses the nature, impact, and trainability of movement economy specific to soccer players. A summary of current knowledge and limitations of movement economy in soccer is provided, with an insight into future research directions, to make this important parameter more valuable when assessing and training soccer players’ running performance.
Highlights
Soccer is a multi-skilled sport requiring a combination of physical, technical, and tactical abilities to produce a superior performance [1,2,3]
All peer-reviewed articles presenting movement economy data in soccer players have only been included in the review analysis
Movement economy is a relevant parameter of aerobic fitness during long and exhaustive sports, such as soccer
Summary
Soccer is a multi-skilled sport requiring a combination of physical, technical, and tactical abilities to produce a superior performance [1,2,3]. Indirect estimation of oxygen consumption suggests that the aerobic pathway dominates energy delivery by providing approximately 90% of the total metabolic cost of a match [2,5]. This high oxygen taxation results from the aerobic energy system’s contribution to performing continuous submaximal activities (mainly reliant on oxidative metabolism); repeated high-intensity activities (such as sprinting, for instance), where oxygen may contribute up to 40% of the energy required [6]; and re-establishing metabolic processes and anaerobic stores during recovery periods [7]. While the focus is often given to the maximal aerobic capacity of soccer players [8], there are other aerobic parameters that may Sports 2018, 6, 124; doi:10.3390/sports6040124 www.mdpi.com/journal/sports
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