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Scientific Programme

Applied Sports Sciences

OP-AP24 - Football Science I

Date: 04.07.2024, Time: 13:45 - 15:00, Lecture room: Dochart 1

Description

Chair TBA

Chair

TBA
TBA
TBA

ECSS Paris 2023: OP-AP24

Speaker A Carolina Wilke

Speaker A

Carolina Wilke
St Mary's University Twickenham, London, 1. Faculty of Sport, Technology and Health Sciences; 2. Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Institute of Biological Sciences, 3. Sport and Exercise Discipline Group
United Kingdom
"ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT MATCHES ALSO THE MOST PHYSICALLY DEMANDING ONES IN INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S FOOTBALL? INITIAL INSIGHTS FROM THE BRAZILIAN TEAM"

INTRODUCTION: Physical demands in football matches can be influenced by different factors, such as opponent and tournament. In national team context, these factors may differ in matches played in preparatory tournaments and qualifying phases for larger tournaments that are often played locally (e.g., within the confederation), compared to those in main tournaments, such as the World Cup and Olympic games. Understanding such characteristics can be important to inform a team strategy in the preparation for big tournaments. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare match demands of the Brazilian women’s professional team in different tournaments (i.e., friendly matches, biggest tournaments in the international calendar – World Cup and Olympic Games, and smaller international tournaments – Copa América and others). METHODS: This is a cross-sectional observational study. Data of 66 players that participated in official matches from 2018 to 2022 were retrieved from the Brazilian Football Confederation archives. Players were monitored during matches with a GPS unit with an integrated accelerometer (Catapult). Total distance (m), and distance run in high intensity (>19km/h) were relativized by the time played (m/min) and used to compare match demands between tournaments. A one-way ANOVA was used to compare 5 categories of matches: 1) FIFA Women’s World Cup (n=1; 4 matches) + Olympic Games (n=1; 4 matches); 2) Copa América (n=2; 13 matches), 3) Other Tournaments (n=6; 17 matches) and 4) Friendly matches (n = 26). Data from all players that participated in at least one match were included in the analysis. RESULTS: Total distance covered during matches was lower (p<0.05) in the World Cup & Olympics Games (96.76 m/min) when compared to that of Copa América (102.55 m/min), Other Tournaments (104.11 m/min) min) and Friendly matches (104.69 m/min). However, high-intensity running was not different between the four types of competitions (World Cup & Olympics: 6.41 m/min; Copa América: 6.08 m/min; Other Tournaments: 6.48 m/min; Friendlies: 6. 45 m/min). CONCLUSION: Despite covering lower total distance in the main tournaments of the international calendar (World Cup and Olympic Games) compared to others, players from the Brazilian national team covered similar high-intensity running distances in all assessed tournaments.

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ECSS Paris 2023: OP-AP24

Speaker B Ismail BAYRAM

Speaker B

Ismail BAYRAM
Anadolu University, Faculty of Psychology
Turkey
"Influence of Strength, Biofeedback and Combined Training on Jumping and Kicking Performance in Soccer"

INTRODUCTION: Soccer, a dynamic sport, demands a combination of strength, agility, and high levels of skill. Well-structured kicking ability is a pre-determinant parameter for soccer success (1, 2). This study evaluated the impact of specific training modalities (strength, biofeedback, and combined strength and biofeedback) on jumping and kicking performance in U16 regional-level soccer players. The aim was to identify the efficacy of each training method and explore potential synergies when combined. METHODS: We recruited 21 soccer players, forming three groups with 7 players in each: Strength Group (SG; age: 15 ± 1.15 yrs, training age: 4.29 ± 1.11 yrs height: 1.63 ± 0.07 m mass: 56.20 ± 5.12 kg)), Biofeedback Group (BG; 14±1.85 yrs, 3.71 ± 0.95 yrs, 1.66 ± 0.10 m 52.46 ± 9.70 kg), and Combined Group (CG; 15 ±1.36 yrs, 4 ± 1.29 yrs, 1.59 ± 0.10 m, 47.36 ± 10.48 kg). The intervention period spanned 8 weeks, during which SG received strength training, BG underwent biofeedback training targeting kicking performance, and CG experienced a combination of both, alongside their regular soccer training. To assess the effectiveness of the interventions, we employed two measures of lower limb explosive power: Squat Jumps (SJ) and Countermovement Jumps (CMJ) measured by jumping mat (Smart Speed; Fusion Sport Pty, Ltd, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia). Additionally, we measured kicking performance by evaluating ball velocity with a radar gun (Jugs Pro, USA) during shooting for both dominant and non-dominant legs. We employed mixed design ANOVA with Bonferroni correction to assess and compare the mean performance scores of the training methods (p<0.05). RESULTS: In the analysis of pre and post-test comparisons, SG demonstrated a significant improvement in jump height compared to the other groups (SJ pre: 0.29 ± 0.05 m post: 0.32 ± 0.06 m; CMJ pre: 0.30 ±0.05 m post: 0.32 ± 0.06 m; p < 0.05). This underscores the positive impact of strength training on lower limb explosive power. Interestingly, CG exhibited a noteworthy enhancement in ball velocity of both the dominant and non-dominant leg (Dominant pre: 78.90 ± 9.59 km/h post: 85.29 ± 9.33 km/h Non-dominant pre: 59.33 ± 11.32 km/h post: 63.67 ± 9.41 km/h) compared to both SG and BG (p < 0.05). The combination of strength and biofeedback training, integrated with regular soccer training, proved to be a powerful catalyst for improving soccer-specific skills. CONCLUSION: Strength training was effective for improving lower limb explosive power, evidenced by increased jump performance in the SG. More notably, the CG outperformed the other groups in terms of improving kicking performance. Therefore, the combined approach seemed to synergize the benefits of strength and biofeedback training modalities, resulting in a more comprehensive improvement in soccer-specific skills. REFERENCES: 1. Augustus et al., J. Sports Sci., 2017 2. Augustus et al., J. Sports Sci., 2021

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ECSS Paris 2023: OP-AP24

Speaker C Antonio Gualtieri

Speaker C

Antonio Gualtieri
Juventus Football Club S.p.A., Sport Science and R&D Department
Italy
"Three-, four- and five-day microcycles in professional football"

INTRODUCTION: In modern football, elite level teams frequently face periods with congested fixtures. This scenario requires teams to play more than once a week in national and international competitions [1]. Previous research reported a gradual reduction in training volume as match day approached [2], but limited information is currently available about shorter microcycles’ training load distribution. Therefore, this study aimed to quantify training and match day (MD) load during three- (3dMC), four- (4dMC) and five-day microcycles (5dMC) in elite adult football and analyse the effect of microcycle length on the training load sustained the day before (MD-1) and after a match (MD+1). METHODS: This study involved 20 male adult elite football players whose external load was monitored for a whole competitive season, assessing periods with congested fixtures (i.e., three-, four- and five-day microcycles). Training exposure (EXP), total distance covered (TD), high-speed running distance (HSR), sprint distance (SD), individual sprint distance (D>80%), number of accelerations (ACC) and decelerations (DEC) were quantified. The load recorded on MD+1 (sustained by non-starting players), MD-1 and MD was compared between the three congested microcycles. RESULTS: Microcycles length affected most of the variables of interest: HSR (F = 9.04, p < 0.01), SD (F = 13.90, p < 0.01), D>80% (F = 20.25, p < 0.01), accelerations (F = 10.12, p < 0.01) and decelerations (F = 6.01, p < 0.01). Comparisons highlighted that 3dMC and 4dMC had greater daily average HSR and D>80% demands than the 5dMC, while 4dMC and 5dMC produced more ACC than 3dMC (p < 0.05). There was an interaction effect between training day and microcycle type for SD (F = 5.46, p < 0.01), D>80% (F = 4.51, p < 0.01), ACC (F = 2.24, p = 0.06) and DEC (F = 3.91, p < 0.01). In particular, the microcycle type affected D>80% on MD+1 (higher in 3dMC), and ACC and DEC on MD-1 and MD. 4dMC presented a greater number of ACC on MD-1, compared to 3dMC (-8.5, p < 0.01, d = -0.29) and on MD compared to 3dMC (-11.6, p < 0.01, d = -0.36) and 5dMC (-9.3, p < 0.01, d = 0.25). 4dMC presented the greater number of DEC on MD-1, compared to 3dMC (-7.9, p < 0.01, d = -0.23) and on MD compared to 3dMC (-16.4, p < 0.01, d = -0.43) and 5dMC (14.2, p < 0.01, d = 0.33). CONCLUSION: During congested fixtures, players external training load is influenced by microcycles length, where coaches seem to prefer technical and tactical drills with a reduced muscular impact during shorter microcycles allowing starting players to recover from the previous match. On the other side, non-starting players can be exposed to high-speed running on MD+1 since they may not have this stimulus on the other training days of the week. Independently of the length of the congested fixture microcycle, daily load does appear to decrease when MD approaches. References: [1] Julian (2021) [2] Clemente (2019)

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ECSS Paris 2023: OP-AP24