Abstract
Our goal was to assess agility, explosive power, and speed-endurance capacity by implementing noninvasive procedures and sport-specific tests. We hypothesized that agility, speed, explosive power, and speed-endurance capacity might be maintained or increased by an individualized home-based training program. Eleven adolescent athletes participated in our study; they executed three tests before the coronavirus outbreak and 13 weeks later, after the pandemic curfew. We used the SpeedCourt System to assess the sport-specific speed and agility parameters and monitor speed-endurance capacity. We conducted the first measurement at the end of the preparatory period, on 28 February 2020. The second session consisted of 4 weeks of regular training and 9 weeks of individual, home-based activities. Compared to the first (pre-pandemic) testing session, our participants demonstrated a significantly improved capacity of the lower limbs’ explosive strength after completing the home-based exercise routine, compared to the first (pre-pandemic) testing session. We found that agility, speed, and explosive power might be maintained at the same level under home-based conditions. We found that it was challenging for the participants to increase their “pre-pandemic” endurance capacities.
Highlights
Modern-day sports science is based on achieving the highest possible training intensity, which would simulate the situations that tend to occur in a game
Eleven athletes performed the Countermovement Jump Test (CMJ) to assess the explosive strength of the lower limb
The explosive strength of the lower limb significantly improved compared to the first testing session
Summary
Modern-day sports science is based on achieving the highest possible training intensity, which would simulate the situations that tend to occur in a game. High-speed runs in a game are standard for a top-level player to perform 17–30 shorter or longer submaximal sprints [2]. It is a common misconception that repetitive sprint ability is one of the utmost important aspects of soccer training [2,3]. International elite level players are characterized by sprints faster than 25 km/h [2]. Athletes may not achieve these high-speed movements in every second of the game. High-speed activities dominate the sport; maximal high-speed sprints reaching 30–35 km/h occur relatively infrequently, only around two bouts in a game [4]
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