The Relationship between Measures of Sprinting, Aerobic Fitness, and Lower Body Strength and Power in Well-Trained Female Soccer Players

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between measures of sprinting ability, fatigue index, lower body strength and power output, and aerobic fitness in well-trained, young, elite female soccer players. The descriptive cross-sectional design was applied to 30 well-trained female soccer players (mean ± SD: age 19 ± 4 years, body mass 57.5 ± 6.9 kg, height 167 ± 4 cm) who agreed to participate in the study. Tests of 40 m linear sprint, 7 x 30 m repeated sprint ability with 30 s recovery, sprint with change of direction, multi stage fitness test (MSFT), and vertical jump were conducted on a soccer field. The results showed that squat jump (SJ) had the strongest relationship with 0-20 m start and acceleration phases, while countermovement jump (CMJ) had the strongest relationship with maximal sprinting speed over 20-40 m. Aerobic fitness measures were significantly related to linear sprint over 0-40 m, 20-40 m sprint times, repeated sprint ability (RSA) fastest time, total time, mean time, and sprint with change of direction. Linear sprint over 40 m had a strong relationship with RSA fastest time, RSA mean time, and RSA total time. Finally, a significant relationship was observed between measures of linear sprint and sprint with change of direction. The relationship observed between aerobic capacity and sprinting abilities and the results from the stepwise analysis suggest that separate training strategies are necessary to specifically target and improve performance in these abilities.