Abstract
Competitive breaks in soccer have been revealed to be detrimental to the individual and collective performance of soccer players and teams. Several studies have been carried out, and the evidence suggests the need to apply specific training programs to avoid a decline in soccer players’ performance. However, the elaboration of these specific programs, in many cases, is essentially focused on physical performance, neglecting the technical and behavioral domain. In this small review, the competitive breaks and their main effects for detraining were critically analyzed. Concurrently, we analyzed the effects of the use of specific training programs to avoid changes in the performance of soccer players and teams. It is essential to create guidelines for coaches to apply for specific training programs properly during competitive breaks so that soccer players can maintain their individual and collective performance, considering the physiological, technical, and behavioral domains. Applying of these programs will also contribute to enhancing soccer players’ physical condition, increasing their tolerance to the imposed training loads, and, consequently, reducing the appearance of injuries.
Highlights
Competitive breaks are characterized by a detraining period, which consists of a reduction or complete cessation of physical activity [5], which can compromise the athlete's physiological adaptations and performance [2, 6 - 8]
A recent investigation [25] on the subject, in which harmful effects on the body composition and physical fitness of soccer players were observed after interrupting the training process, suggests the need to understand the effects of different training programs applied during detraining periods on the individual performance of the athlete throughout the season
In the studies previously mentioned, the effects of a detraining period were analyzed based on the evaluation of different physical and physiological capacities associated with aerobic capacity [2, 15, 17 - 19, 42], anaerobic capacity [2, 5, 11, 32, 44], speed [41], flexibility [8, 9] and body composition [15, 18]
Summary
Soccer is a collective sport with complex and dynamic characteristics, in which the schedule of events becomes a determining factor in the planning process [1]. A recent investigation [25] on the subject, in which harmful effects on the body composition and physical fitness of soccer players were observed after interrupting the training process, suggests the need to understand the effects of different training programs applied during detraining periods on the individual performance of the athlete throughout the season. The technical versatility of the footballer, such as speed and quality of execution, appears to be an important characteristic in athletes of high level performance, presenting fundamental implications in the tactical dimension of the game [27] This game, characterized by the interaction and cooperation between footballers of the same team, requires an understanding of the coordination processes between them [28].
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