Seasonal Variations in Physical Fitness and Performance Indices of Elite Soccer Players.

Yoav Meckel,Ofer Doron,Eyal Eliakim,Alon Eliakim

doi:10.3390/sports6010014

Abstract

The aim of the study was to investigate seasonal variations in fitness and performance indices of professional male soccer players. Eighteen professional male soccer players (age range 22–32 years) completed three similar sets of tests at three stages of the season: before preseason; after preseason and the middle of the competitive in-season. A significant decrease in body mass and percent fat was found during the preseason. A significant improvement (p < 0.05) was found in the vertical jump (preseason: 37.0 ± 5.3, post-preseason: 39.0 ± 4.8, mid-season: 40.3 ± 5.5 cm), the 4 × 10-m agility test (preseason: 8.1 ± 0.2, post-preseason: 7.9 ± 0.2, mid-season: 8.1 ± 0.3 s), flexibility (preseason: 45.2 ± 8.8, post-preseason: 48.2 ± 7.0, mid-season: 49.9 ± 6.9 cm) and aerobic capacity (preseason: 52.7 ± 6.6, post-preseason: 56.4 ± 6.0, mid-season: 57.4 ± 5.4 mL/kg/min) during preseason, with no further change during mid-season. Repeated sprint test (RST) (6 × 30-m) performance indices showed significant deterioration (p < 0.05) in ideal sprint time (IS; preseason: 21.8 ± 1.0, post-preseason: 23.0 ± 0.8, mid-season: 23.2 ± 0.8 s) and total sprint time (TS; preseason: 22.5 ± 0.7, post-preseason: 23.5 ± 0.6, mid-season: 23.8 ± 0.6 s) during preseason, with no further changes during mid-season. However, performance decrement (PD) significantly decreased during the preseason with no change during mid-season. The findings suggest that while power training was probably responsible for the anaerobic fitness improvement, the high-volume training led to improvement in aerobic fitness during the preseason. However, the low-intensity aerobic-type training, coupled with the high total training load, may have led to fatigue and decreases in IS and TS during the preseason.

Highlights

In modern professional soccer leagues, players are in active training for around 10 to 11 months.While the preseason period is relatively short and lasts only about two months, the competitive season is stretched over a long period of 8 to 9 months
Small-sided games appear as a separate issue, they can be classified as endurance-type training, similar to interval training in terms of physiological load, incorporated with soccer-specific technical skill. While this training method was used in the pre- and the in-season phases, it was usually performed at a higher intensity and at shorter distances during the in-season compared to the preseason phase
There was a significant improvement (p < 0.05) in flexibility determined by the sit and reach test and vertical jump in post-preseason and mid-season measurements compared to the preseason measurements (Table 1)

Summary

Introduction

In modern professional soccer leagues, players are in active training for around 10 to 11 months.While the preseason period is relatively short and lasts only about two months, the competitive season is stretched over a long period of 8 to 9 months. In modern professional soccer leagues, players are in active training for around 10 to 11 months. The player’s physical fitness is only one of several variables, it plays a key factor in a soccer team’s success [1,2]. Since players are subject to changes in playing time, training intensity, injuries, nutrition and playing position, it is essential to monitor their physical fitness and performance capabilities throughout the season. The outcome of such procedures may provide coaches with necessary information on whether to carry on with the pre-planned training program or to make some applicable changes

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