Short Preseason Research Articles

Traditional Free-Weight Vs. Variable Resistance Training Applied to Elite Young Soccer Players During a Short Preseason: Effects on Strength, Speed, and Power Performance.

Loturco, I, Pereira, LA, Reis, VP, Zanetti, V, Bishop, C, and Mcguigan, MR. Traditional free-weight vs. variable resistance training applied to elite young soccer players during a short preseason: Effects on strength, speed, and power performance. J Strength Cond Res 36(12): 3432-3439, 2022-Maximizing the neuromuscular capacities of players is a critical challenge during short soccer preseasons. This study compared the effects of 2 strength-power training regimes, on the strength, speed, and power performance of elite young soccer players during a 4-week preseason. Twenty-five under-20 players from the same club were pair matched in 2 training groups as follows: traditional training group (TTG) ( n = 13), athletes performed half-squat (HS) and jump-squat (JS) exercises as traditionally prescribed, and elastic band (EB) group (EBG) ( n = 12), athletes performed HS and JS with EB attached to the barbell. Vertical jump height, 20-m sprint velocity, change of direction (COD) speed, HS and JS power, and 1 repetition maximum (1RM) in the HS were assessed before, after 2-week, and after 4-week of training. A two-way analysis of variance with repeated measures was used to assess the effects of both training protocols over the experimental period. Both strategies were effective for significantly improving HS and JS power (effect sizes [ESs] = 1.00-1.77), HS 1RM (ES = 1.68 and 1.51 for TTG and EBG, respectively), vertical jumping ability (ES = 0.37-0.65), and COD speed (ES = 0.81 and 0.39 for TTG and EBG, respectively), when comparing premeasures and postmeasures. By contrast, both TTG and EBG failed to increase 20-m sprint velocity (ES ranging between -0.54 and 0.23). In conclusion, both training schemes were able to improve the strength and power performance but not the sprint capacity of young soccer players. To accelerate strength gains over very-short time periods (i.e., 2 weeks), variable resistance training may be advantageous. Conversely, to optimize power adaptations in ballistic exercises across a similar time period, traditional free-weight training may be preferred.

Pre-season Training Loads Of Elite NCAA Division 3 Female Soccer Players: A Descriptive Study

Field-based sports training traditionally revolves around the “art of coaching”, where coaches use experience and educated guesses as a primary means of conditioning players. With the advent of GPS technology, field sports have the capability to monitor external training loads more accurately thus allowing the coaching staff to design better conditioning programs in order to match sport-specific demands seen during practices and competitions, potentially improving performance. NCAA rule limitations for Division III preseason training accentuates the need to determine the training loads of these practices. PURPOSE: The purpose of the descriptive study was to examine the external training loads of elite NCAA Division III soccer players during preseason training. METHODS: 17 NCAA female Division III soccer players (20.41±1.12 years; 64.44±6.76 kg; 166.06±4.74cm) wore a portable GPS device, operating at 10Hz and incorporated with a 100Hz triaxial accelerometer, prior to every practice (n = 8) and scrimmage (n=1) during the preseason (Aug 19 - Aug 27) in central Virginia. To start the preseason, VO2max was estimated via the YOYO test. GPS collected total distance (km), work rate (m/min), hard running (>4.5 m/s; m), zone 6 running (>6 m/s; m), top speed (km/h), and intensity during practices and scrimmages during the Division III preseason. RESULTS: Estimated VO2max was reported to be 44.90±1.90 ml·kg-1·min-1. During practices, athletes covered 4.35±2.04 km, had a work rate of 42.31±10.05 m/min, covered 157.38±143.38 m of hard running, ran 33.19±56.70m in Zone 6, had a top speed of 24.54±4.59 km/h, and had an intensity of 26.66±14.13. During the scrimmage, athletes covered 6.33±2.24 km, had a work rate of 38.13±13.72 m/min, covered 227.80±194.841 m of hard running, ran 28.47±45.17 m in Zone 6, had a top speed of 25.96±4.15 km/h, and had an intensity of 40.33±17.69. CONCLUSION: The external loads of elite Division III female soccer players were found to be similar to previously reported in-season loads of Division I and Division II athletes. The short preseason training period and high external loads present a number of concerns for Division III athletes as it pertains to preseason conditioning needs and the potential for overload injury risks.

A FOUR-WEEK TRAINING PROGRAM WITH THE NORDIC HAMSTRING EXERCISE DURING PRESEASON INCREASES ECCENTRIC STRENGTH OF MALE SOCCER PLAYERS

The Nordic hamstring exercise (NHE) is an effective strategy to prevent hamstring strain injuries in soccer players. The current literature recommends a 10-week training program with three sessions per week, but the short preseason period and the congested schedule make difficult for high-performance soccer teams to apply the NHE as recommended. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of a pragmatic NHE training program during a four-week preseason period on eccentric knee flexor strength of high-performance soccer players. Quasi-experimental clinical trial. This study included 25 under-20 male soccer players from a premier league club. They performed eight sessions of NHE (3 sets of 6-10 repetitions, twice a week) during the four-week preseason period. The eccentric knee flexor strength was evaluated during the NHE execution on a custom-made device, before and after the training program. The NHE training program significantly increased the players' eccentric knee flexor strength in both right (Δ = 13%; p<0.001; effect size = 0.97) and left limbs (Δ = 13%; p<0.001; effect size = 0.92). Individual analysis identified 76% of the players as responders to the NHE training program (Δ = 16%; effect size = 1.60), and 24% as non-responders (Δ = 3%; effect size = 0.24). A four-week training program with NHE performed twice a week is feasible in the real-world of high-performance soccer clubs and increases the eccentric knee flexor strength of male soccer players.

Sleep and Salivary Testosterone and Cortisol During a Short Preseason Camp: A Study in Professional Rugby Union.

Purpose: To examine changes in, and relationships between, sleep quality and quantity, salivary testosterone, salivary cortisol, testosterone-to-cortisol ratio (T:C), and self-reported muscle soreness during a residential-based training camp in elite rugby players. Methods: Nineteen male rugby players age 26.4 (3.9) years, height 186.0 (9.4)cm, and weight 104.1 (13.4)kg (mean [SD]) participated in this study. Wrist actigraphy devices were worn for 8 nights around a 4-d training camp (2 nights prior, during, and 2 nights after). Sleep-onset latency, sleep duration, sleep efficiency, and waking time were measured. Participants provided saliva samples during camp on waking and again 45 min later, which were then assayed for testosterone and cortisol levels. They also rated their general muscle soreness daily. Results: Little variation was observed for sleep quality and quantity or testosterone. However, significant differences were observed between and within days for cortisol, T:C, and muscle soreness (P < .001). Few relationships were observed for sleep and hormones; the strongest, an inverse relationship for sleep efficiency and T:C (r = -.372, P < .01). Conclusions: There may be no clear and useful relationship between sleep and hormone concentration in a short-term training camp context, and measures of sleep and testosterone and cortisol should be interpreted with caution because of individual variation. Alterations in hormone concentration, particularly cortisol, may be affected by other factors including anticipation of the day ahead. This study adds to our knowledge that changes in hormone concentration are individual and context specific.

Managing Mental and Physical Fatigue During a Collegiate Soccer Season

Many athletes deal with the dilemma of a short pre-season followed by a long and grueling competitive season. Unfortunately, this type of schedule puts athletes at greater risk of injury and/or development of overtraining syndrome. In order for athletes to realize optimal performance, it is vital that a coaching staff engages in and understands the rationale (physiological and psychological) behind best coaching practices to ensure that athletes are mentally and physically prepared for competition. This requires managing athletes’ mental and physical fatigue over the duration of a competitive season, which involves applying effective coaching strategies during the off-season and pre-season. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of coaching methods the Kinesiology Department faculty and the coaching staff of the women’s soccer team at California State University Monterey Bay collaborated to measure athlete preparedness for competition on a weekly basis over the duration of a competitive season. The following article is a discussion of coaching methods that are considered an example of best practice and the physiological and psychological rationale behind what we would consider to be effective strategies for managing athletes’ mental and physical fatigue and thereby increasing the chances for an athlete to realize optimal performance.

Seasonal Changes in Physical Performance and Heart Rate Variability in High Level Futsal Players

The aim of this study was to determine the changes in physical performance and resting heart rate variability (HRV) in professional futsal players during the pre-season and in-season training periods. 11 athletes took part in the study (age=24.3±2.9 years; height=176.3±5.2 cm; weight=76.1±6.3 kg), and performed a repeated-sprint ability (RSA) test [6×40 m (20+20 m with a 180° change of direction) sprints separated by 20 s of passive recovery] and Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test level 1 (Yo-Yo IR1) at 3 different moments (M1=beginning of pre-season; M2=end of pre-season; M3=mid in-season). The HRV indices were assessed at the same moments. After the short pre-season (3-week), mean RSA time (RSAmean) (M1=7.43±0.2 s; M2=7.24±0.2 s; P=0.003), decrement in RSA performance (RSAdecrement) (M1=6.7±0.3%; M2=5.0±0.9%; P=0.001), and Yo-Yo IR1 distance (M1=1.244±298 m; M2=1.491±396 m; P=0.002) were significantly improved (P<0.05). During the in-season (i. e., M3), performance in Yo-Yo IR1 and RSAmean were maintained. In contrast, RSAbest (M2=6.89±0.2 to M3=6.69±0.3; P=0.001) was improved and RSAdecrement (M2=5.0±0.9% to M3=6.6±0.9%; P=0.001) was impaired. At M2, there was an increase in HRV vagal-related indices compared with M1 that was maintained at M3. In conclusion, after a short pre-season, futsal players improved their RSA and Yo-Yo IR1 performance with concomitant improvements in HRV. These indices were maintained during the in-season period while RSAbest was improved and RSAdecrement impaired. Frequent monitoring of these performances and HRV indices may assist with identification of individual training adaptations and/or early signs of maladaption.

Hamstring Muscle Strains in Professional Football Players

Background: Investigations into hamstring strain injuries at the elite level exist in sports such as Australian Rules football, rugby, and soccer, but no large-scale study exists on the incidence and circumstances surrounding these injuries in the National Football League (NFL). Hypothesis: Injury rates will vary between different player positions, times in the season, and across different playing situations. Study Design: Descriptive epidemiology study. Methods: Between 1989 and 1998, injury data were prospectively collected by athletic trainers for every NFL team and recorded in the NFL’s Injury Surveillance System. Data collected included team, date of injury, activity the player was engaged in at the time of injury, injury severity, position played, mechanism of injury, and history of previous injury. Injury rates were reported in injuries per athlete-exposure (A-E). An athlete-exposure was defined as 1 athlete participating in either 1 practice or 1 game. Results: Over the 10-year study period 1716 hamstring strains were reported for an injury rate (IR) of 0.77 per 1000 A-E. More than half (51.3%) of hamstring strains occurred during the 7-week preseason. The preseason practice IR was significantly elevated compared with the regular-season practice IR (0.82/1000 A-E and 0.18/1000 A-E, respectively). The most commonly injured positions were the defensive secondary, accounting for 23.1% of the injuries; the wide receivers, accounting for 20.8%; and special teams, constituting 13.0% of the injuries in the study. Conclusion: Hamstring strains are a considerable cause of disability in football, with the majority of injuries occurring during the short preseason. In particular, the speed position players, such as the wide receivers and defensive secondary, as well as players on the special teams units, are at elevated risk for injury. These positions and situations with a higher risk of injury provide foci for preventative interventions.

A double-blinded, comparative study of the effects of short preseason specific immunotherapy and topical steroids in patients with allergic rhinoconjunctivitis and asthma

Background: Both specific immunotherapy (SIT) and nasal steroid (NS) have been shown to effectively reduce symptoms of allergic rhinitis. Although a number of investigators have convincingly shown anti-inflammatory effects of both treatments in separate studies, few comparative studies have been performed. Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of preseason SIT with a standardized allergen extract and NS in seasonal allergic disease (rhinoconjuctivitis and asthma). Methods: We examined 41 patients allergic to birch pollen, 21 with rhinoconjunctivitis and 20 with both rhinoconjunctivitis and asthma; they were treated in a randomized, double-blinded comparative study with birch SIT and NS (budesonide 400 μg daily). Bronchial hyperresponsiveness was measured before and during the season. Changes in eosinophil number, eosinophil cationic protein, and eosinophil chemotactic activity (ECA) in peripheral blood were investigated. Results: Symptoms of rhinoconjunctivitis increased significantly less in the NS-treated patients than in the SIT-treated patients during the final 2 weeks of the season (P = .03 and P = .04, respectively). Seasonal peak expiratory flow values decreased significantly only in the NS-treated patients (P = .01). In the NS-treated patients, bronchial hyperresponsiveness increased significantly during the season (P = .0001); however, SIT treatment prevented seasonal PC20 increase in the asthmatic patients. Measurement of blood eosinophils, eosinophil cationic protein, and eosinophil chemotactic activity demonstrated significant seasonal increase only in the NS-treated asthmatic patients. Conclusion: Treatment with NS was more effective than short-course preseason SIT in reducing symptoms of rhinoconjunctivitis; however, the 2 therapies were equivalent in terms of the need for rescue medication. SIT prevented seasonal increase in bronchial hyperresponsiveness, eosinophil number, eosinophil cationic protein, and eosinophil chemotactic activity only in asthmatic patients. The mechanisms underlying bronchial hyperresponiveness developing during allergen exposure in rhinitis might be different from those operating in asthma. (J Allergy Clin Immunol 2001;108:921-8.)