Author(s): SMIRNIOTOU, A., GIOLDASIS, A., PANTELI, F., THEODOROU, A., Institution: KAPODISTRIAN UNIVERSITY OF ATHENS, Country: GREECE, Abstract-ID: 708

INTRODUCTION:
In team sports, game elements coexist with remarkable variations under different conditions, such as the size of the playing field, the number of players, the duration of the game, and the frequency of substitutions, which significantly affect the speed and strength performance of athletes [1]. Intermittent high-intensity efforts, rapid acceleration and deceleration, changes of direction and the rapid covering of different distances are all required actions. Dynamic movements such as sprinting, jumping, and changing direction in different FIELD dimensions affect speed and power performance [2]. This study aims to compare the effects of field size restrictions in two team sports on sprinting, jumping, and change of direction performance.
METHODS:
This study investigated the sprinting, change of direction, and jumping performance of amateur Soccer (SP; n=25; age=22.78±5.20yrs; experience=14.51±3.24yrs) and Futsal Players (FP; n=25; age=24.85±4.37yrs; experience=16.12±4.86yrs). Participants tested for linear sprint (SL) over 10 and 30m, change of direction (505 test), and jumping performance (CMJ and SJ). Sprint and COD times were recorded using a Brower electronic timing system. Jumping performance was measured using the Optojump system. Descriptive statistics, t-tests, and Pearson’s correlations, with a significance level p<0.05, were used.
RESULTS:
Mean SL10m and SL30m were 1.82±0.13 and 4.21±0.24sec for SP and 2.17±0.23 and 5.12±0.63sec for FP, respectively. Significant differences were found on SL30m (F=6.44; p=0.023). Mean CMJ and SJ were 38.53±5.30 and 36.28±5.00cm for SP and 29.70±4.41 and 29.35±6.54cm for FP, respectively. Significant differences were found in CMJ (F=5.20; p=0.041) and SJ (F=4.98; p=0.016). Mean COD right and left turn were 2.51±0.17 and 2.48±0.14sec for SP and 2.85±0.21 and 2.89±0.24sec for FP, respectively. Significant differences were found for both COD right (F=9.02; p=0.010) and COD left turn (F=11.528; p=0.005). In addition, significant correlations were found between the abilities of both SP and FP.
CONCLUSION:
Despite the common gameplay elements, the study revealed significant performance differences between SP and FP. SP showed superior performance in the 30m sprint, which may be influenced by the nature of soccer gameplay, which often requires longer sprints due to the larger playing field. In terms of jumping ability, SP was superior in both CMJ and SJ. In addition, SP showed faster COD times, possibly due to the larger field size requiring rapid and efficient changes of direction after prolonged and faster sprints. Comprehension of these differences provides coaches with valuable insights for designing sport-specific training plans, to optimise performance in soccer or futsal. It is recommended that future research focuses on investigating the cognitive differences between athletes.
REFERENCES:
1) Bekris et al., Baltic Journal of Sport and Health Sciences, 2023
2) Smirniotou et al., The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, 2009