Reduced High-Intensity-Running Rate in College Women’s Soccer When Games Are Separated by 42 Hours

Purpose:During the competitive soccer season, women’s intercollegiate matches are typically played on Friday evenings and Sunday afternoons. The efficacy of a 42-h recovery period is not well understood. This investigation was conducted to determine performance differences between Friday and Sunday matches during a competitive season.Methods:Ten NCAA Division I female soccer players (20.5 ± 1.0 y, 166.6 ± 5.1 cm, 61.1 ± 5.8 kg) were monitored with 10-Hz GPS devices across 8 weekends with matches played on Friday evenings and Sunday afternoons. The players were outside backs, midfielders, and forwards. All players had to participate in a minimum of 45 min/match to be included in the study. Average minutes played, total distance covered, total distance of high-intensity running (HIR) (defined as running at a velocity equal to or exceeding 3.61 m/s for longer than 1 s), the number of HIR efforts, and the number of sprints were calculated for each match. Data for Friday vs Sunday matches were averaged and then compared using dependent t tests.Results:No differences were seen in minutes played, distance rate, or number of sprints between Friday and Sunday matches. A significant (P = .017) decrease in rate of HIR between Friday (25.37 ± 7.22 m/min) and Sunday matches (22.90 ± 5.70 m/min) was seen. In addition, there was a trend toward a difference (P = .073) in the number of efforts of HIR between Friday (138.41 ± 36.43) and Sunday (126.92 ± 31.31).Conclusions:NCAA Division I female soccer players cover less distance of HIR in games played less than 48 h after another game. This could be due to various factors such as dehydration, glycogen depletion, or muscle damage.

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Distance and Intensity Profiles in Division I Women’s Soccer Matches across a Competitive Season

Sports ◽

10.3390/sports9050063 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (5) ◽

pp. 63

Author(s):

Mario Norberto Sevilio de Oliveira Junior ◽

Christiano Eduardo Veneroso ◽

Guilherme Passos Ramos ◽

Kelly E. Johnson ◽

Justin P. Guilkey ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ncaa Division I ◽

High Intensity ◽

Average Distance ◽

Division I ◽

Soccer Players ◽

Total Distance ◽

Women's Participation ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Physiological Demands ◽

Playing Time

Women’s participation in soccer has increased rapidly. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the physiological demands imposed on women’s NCAA Division I soccer players across a season according to speed, total distance traveled, and numbers of sprints measured via GPS (Polar Team Pro®). Eighteen athletes (19.2 ± 1.1 years, 50.5 ± 6.5 mL/kg/min and 23.4 ± 3.6% fat) participated in this study. The analysis was obtained through 13 official matches. Speed zones were defined as Zone 1 (1.0 to 5.99 km·h−1), Zone 2 (6.0 to 10.99 km·h−1), Zone 3 (11.0 to 15.49 km·h−1), Zone 4 (15.5 to 19.9 km·h−1) and Zone 5 (sprint > 20 km·h−1), with Zones 4–5 considered as high intensity running. Individual differences in playing time and total distance were highly variable due to substitutions. Average distance traveled per game in quartiles was 3.9 km, 5.6 km and 7.4 km in the 25th, 50th, and 75th quartiles, respectively. Relative to playing time, players travelled an average of 113.64 ± 17.12 m/min (range: 93.7 to 143.5 m/min) and ran one sprint every 4.12 ± 2.06 min. When distance was summated and analyzed for the entire team, significant difference between halves was found for speed Zones 2, 3 and 4, with greater values found in the first half. Total distance, high intensity running and sprint distance were significantly less than previously recorded in professional players. These findings suggest that coaches should consider the unique physiological demands and recovery opportunities present in NCAA play when constructing practices and conditioning programs.

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Regular- and postseason comparisons of playing time and measures of running performance in NCAA Division I women soccer players

Applied Physiology Nutrition and Metabolism ◽

10.1139/apnm-2014-0560 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 40 (9) ◽

pp. 907-917 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Adam J. Wells ◽

Jay R. Hoffman ◽

Kyle S. Beyer ◽

Mattan W. Hoffman ◽

Adam R. Jajtner ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ncaa Division I ◽

High Intensity ◽

High Speed ◽

Division I ◽

Soccer Players ◽

Running Performance ◽

Transient Motion ◽

Absolute Time ◽

Low Intensity ◽

Playing Time

The management of playing time in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) soccer athletes may be a key factor affecting running performance during competition. This study compared playing time and running performance between regular-season and postseason competitions during a competitive women’s soccer season. Nine NCAA Division I women soccer players (age, 21.3 ± 0.9 years; height, 170.3 ± 5.7 cm; body mass, 64.0 ± 5.8 kg) were tracked using portable GPS devices across 21 games during a competitive season (regular season (n = 17); postseason (n = 4)). Movements on the field were divided into operationally distinct thresholds defined as standing/transient motion, walking, jogging, low-speed running, moderate-speed running, high-speed running, sprinting, low-intensity running, and high-intensity running. A significant increase in minutes played (+17%, p = 0.010) was observed at postseason compared with the regular season. Concomitant increases in time spent engaged in low-intensity running (LIR: +18%, p = 0.011), standing/transient motion (+35%, p = 0.004), walking (+17%, p = 0.022), distance covered while walking (+14%, p = 0.036), and at low intensity (+11%, p = 0.048) were observed. Performance comparisons between the first and second half within games revealed a significant decrease (p ≤ 0.05) in high-speed and high-intensity runs during the second half of the postseason compared with the regular season. Changes in minutes played correlated significantly with changes in absolute time spent engaged in LIR (r = 0.999, p < 0.001), standing/transient motion (r = 0.791, p = 0.011), walking (r = 0.975, p = 0.001), jogging (r = 0.733, p = 0.025), distance covered while walking (r = 0.898, p < 0.001) and low-intensity activity (r = 0.945, p < 0.001). Negative correlations were observed between minutes played and absolute time sprinting (r = −0.698, p = 0.037) and distance covered sprinting (r = −0.689, p = 0.040). Results indicate that additional minutes played during the postseason were primarily performed at lower intensity thresholds, suggesting running performance during postseason competitions may be compromised with greater playing time in intercollegiate women’s soccer.

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Changes In Game Performance Of NCAA Division I Women Soccer Players Across A Competitive Season

Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise ◽

10.1249/01.mss.0000479366.61874.41 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 47 ◽

pp. 967

Author(s):

Adam J. Wells ◽

Jay R. Hoffman ◽

Kyle S. Beyer ◽

Mattan W. Hoffman ◽

David H. Fukuda ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ncaa Division I ◽

Division I ◽

Soccer Players ◽

Competitive Season ◽

Game Performance

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Increased Lower Extremity Injury Risk Associated With Player Load and Distance in Collegiate Women’s Soccer

Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine ◽

10.1177/23259671211048248 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (10) ◽

pp. 232596712110482

Author(s):

Michelle Xiao ◽

Jessica N. Nguyen ◽

Calvin E. Hwang ◽

Geoffrey D. Abrams

Keyword(s):

Lower Extremity ◽

Ncaa Division I ◽

High Speed ◽

Injury Risk ◽

Division I ◽

Soccer Players ◽

Lower Extremity Injury ◽

Extremity Injury ◽

Total Distance ◽

Women's Soccer

Background: There is limited research regarding the impact of workload on injury risk specific to women’s soccer. Wearable global positioning system (GPS) units can track workload metrics such as total distance traveled and player load during games and training sessions. These metrics can be useful in predicting injury risk. Purpose: To examine the relationship between injury risk and player workload as collected from wearable GPS units in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I women’s soccer players. Study Design: Case-control study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: Lower extremity injury incidence and GPS workload data (player load, total distance, and high-speed distance) for 65 NCAA Division I women’s soccer players were collected over 3 seasons. Accumulated 1-, 2-, 3-, and 4-week loads and acute-to-chronic workload ratios (ACWR) were classified into discrete ranges by z-scores. ACWR was calculated using rolling averages and exponentially weighted moving averages (EWMA) models. Binary logistic regression models were used to compare the 7:28 rolling average and EWMA ACWRs between injured and noninjured players for all GPS/accelerometer variables. The prior 1-, 2-, 3-, and 4-week accumulated loads for all GPS/accelerometer variables were compared between the injured and uninjured cohorts using 2-sample t tests. Results: There were a total of 53 lower extremity injuries that resulted in lost time recorded (5.76/1000 hours “on-legs” exposure time; 34 noncontact and 19 contact injuries). The prior 2-week (7242 vs 6613 m/s2; P = .02), 3-week (10,533 vs 9718 m/s2; P = .02), and 4-week (13,819 vs 12,892 m/s2; P = .04) accumulated player loads and 2-week (62.40 vs 57.25 km; P = .04), 3-week (90.97 vs 84.10 km; P = .03), and 4-week (119.31 vs 111.38 km; P = .05) accumulated total distances were significantly higher for injured players compared with noninjured players during the same time frames. There were no significant differences in player load, total distance, or high-speed distance ACWR between injured and noninjured players for both the rolling averages and EWMA calculations. Conclusion: Higher accumulated player load and total distance, but not ACWR, were associated with injury in women’s soccer players.

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Athlete workloads during collegiate women's soccer practice: Implications for return-to-play

Journal of Athletic Training ◽

10.4085/205-20 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Natalie Kupperman ◽

Alexandra F. DeJong ◽

Peter Alston ◽

Jay Hertel ◽

Susan A. Saliba

Keyword(s):

Ncaa Division I ◽

Athletic Trainers ◽

Division I ◽

Return To Play ◽

Soccer Players ◽

Game Play ◽

Strength And Conditioning ◽

Total Distance ◽

Simulated Game ◽

Women's Soccer

Abstract Context: Athlete monitoring using wearable technology is often incorporated with soccer athletes. While evaluations have tracked global outcomes across soccer seasons, there is little information on athlete loads during individual practice drills. Understanding these demands is important for athletic trainers for return-to-play decision-making. Objective: To provide descriptive information on total distance, total playerload (PL), distance per minute, and PL per minute for practice drill structures and game-play by player position among female soccer athletes across a competitive season. Design: Retrospective, observational field study. Setting: NCAA Division I university. Patients or other Participants: Thirty-two female college soccer players (20±1 years). Interventions: Athletes wore a single GPS and triaxial accelerometer unit during all practices and games in a single soccer season. Individual practice drills were labeled by the team's strength and conditioning coach, and binned into physical, technical and tactical skills, and small- and large-sided competition drill structures. Main Outcome Measures: Descriptive analyses were used to assess the median total distance, total PL, distance per minute, and PL per minute by drill structure and player position (defenders, midfielders, forwards/strikers) during practices and games. Results: Small- and large-sided competitive drills imposed the greatest percentage of workload across all measures for each position (~20% of total practice), followed by physical drills. When comparing technical and tactical, technical skills required athletes to cover the greatest distance (technical: ~17%; tactical: ~15%), tactical skills required higher play intensity during practices across all positions (technical: ~18%; tactical: ~13%). Defenders had the highest median PL outcomes of all positions during practices. Conclusions: Different practice drill types imposed varying levels of demands on female soccer athletes, which simulated game play. Athletic trainers and other clinicians may use this information for formulating objective return-to-play guidelines for injured collegiate women's soccer players.

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Moderate Altitude Affects High Intensity Running Performance in a Collegiate Women’s Soccer Game

Journal of Human Kinetics ◽

10.1515/hukin-2015-0070 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 47 (1) ◽

pp. 147-154 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Jonathan D. Bohner ◽

Jay R. Hoffman ◽

William. P. McCormack ◽

Tyler C. Scanlon ◽

Jeremy R. Townsend ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Global Positioning System ◽

Ncaa Division I ◽

High Intensity ◽

Division I ◽

Soccer Players ◽

Positioning System ◽

Moderate Altitude ◽

Soccer Game ◽

Global Positioning ◽

Game Activity

AbstractThe effect of altitude on soccer game activity profiles was retrospectively examined in six NCAA Division I female soccer players. Comparisons were made between two matches played at sea level (SL) and one match played at a moderate altitude (1839 m). A 10-Hz global positioning system device was used to measure distance and velocity. The rate of total distance capacity (TDC) and high intensity running (HIR) as well as percent of time at HIR were evaluated. Significant differences were seen in the distance rate (120.55 ± 8.26 m·min-1 versus 105.77 ± 10.19 m·min-1) and the HIR rate (27.65 ± 9.25 m·min-1 versus 25.07 ± 7.66 m·min-1) between SL and altitude, respectively. The percent of time at HIR was not significantly different (p = 0.064), yet tended to be greater at SL (10.4 ± 3.3%) than at altitude (9.1 ± 2.2%). Results indicate that teams residing at SL and competing at a moderate altitude may have a reduced ability in distance covered and a high intensity run rate.

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High-Intensity Demands of 6-a-Side Small-Sided Games and 11-a-Side Matches in Youth Soccer Players

Pediatric Exercise Science ◽

10.1123/pes.2018-0122 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 31 (1) ◽

pp. 85-90

Author(s):

Heita Goto ◽

James A. King

Keyword(s):

Global Positioning System ◽

High Intensity ◽

Soccer Players ◽

Positioning System ◽

Metabolic Power ◽

Youth Soccer ◽

Total Distance ◽

Global Positioning

Purpose: The purposes of the present study were to examine high-intensity running distance during 6-a-side small-sided games (SSGs) and 11-a-side matches (11M) in youth soccer players using speed and metabolic power approaches and the magnitude of difference between the high-intensity running distance calculated with the 2 approaches. Method: A total of 11 outfield players (age = 16.3 [0.6] y) performed SSGs with 3 pitch sizes (small SSG [SSGS], medium SSG, and large SSG [SSGL]) and 11M. A Global Positioning System (15 Hz) was employed to calculate total distance covered, distance covered at a speed ≥4.3 m·s−1 (TS), and metabolic power of ≥20 W·kg−1 (TP). Results: The total distance covered increased from SSGS through to SSGL (P < .001) and was greater during 11M and SSGL compared with other SSGs (P < .01). TS and TP increased from SSGS (TS vs TP = 98 [55] vs 547 [181] m) through to SSGL (538 [167] vs 1050 [234] m; P < .001). TS and TP during 11M (370 [122] vs 869 [233] m) was greater than SSGS (P < .001 for both) and less than SSGL (P < .05 for both). The magnitude of difference between TS and TP (as a percentage) was lower with an increase in pitch size during SSGs and was greater in SSGS (615% [404%]; P < .001), medium SSG (195% [76%]; P < .05), and smaller in SSGL (102% [33%]; P < .01) compared with 11M (145% [53%]). Conclusion: SSGs can replicate the high-intensity demands of 11M and the speed approach underestimates the high-intensity demands of SSGs and 11M compared with the metabolic power approach.

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Maximum Movement Workloads and High-Intensity Workload Demands by Position in NCAA Division I Collegiate Football

The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research ◽

10.1519/jsc.0000000000002611 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 34 (7) ◽

pp. 1974-1981

Author(s):

Gabriel J. Sanders ◽

Brad Roll ◽

Corey A. Peacock ◽

Roger O. Kollock

Keyword(s):

Ncaa Division I ◽

High Intensity ◽

Division I ◽

Collegiate Football

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Associations Between Selected Training-Stress Measures and Fitness Changes in Male Soccer Players

International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance ◽

10.1123/ijspp.2018-0462 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 14 (8) ◽

pp. 1050-1057 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Alireza Rabbani ◽

Mehdi Kargarfard ◽

Carlo Castagna ◽

Filipe Manuel Clemente ◽

Craig Twist

Keyword(s):

Heart Rate ◽

High Intensity ◽

Soccer Players ◽

Running Performance ◽

Total Distance ◽

Professional Soccer ◽

Before And After ◽

Body Load ◽

Training Stress ◽

Training Impulse

Purpose: To investigate the relationship between accumulated global positioning system–accelerometer-based and heart rate–based training metrics and changes in high-intensity intermittent-running capacity during an in-season phase in professional soccer players. Methods: Eleven male professional players (mean [SD] age 27.2 [4.5] y) performed the 30-15 Intermittent Fitness Test (30-15IFT) before and after a 5-wk in-season training phase, and the final velocity (VIFT) was considered their high-intensity intermittent-running capacity. During all sessions, Edwards training impulse (Edwards TRIMP), Banister TRIMP, Z5 TRIMP, training duration, total distance covered, new body load (NBL), high-intensity running performance (distance covered above 14.4 km·h−1), and very-high-intensity running performance (distance covered above 19.8 km·h−1) were recorded. Results: The players’ VIFT showed a most likely moderate improvement (+4.3%, 90% confidence limits 3.1–5.5%, effect size 0.70, [0.51–0.89]). Accumulated NBL, Banister TRIMP, and Edwards TRIMP showed large associations (r = .51–.54) with changes in VIFT. A very large relationship was also observed between accumulated Z5 TRIMP (r = .72) with changes in VIFT. Large to nearly perfect within-individual relationships were observed between NBL and some of the other training metrics (ie, Edwards TRIMP, Banister TRIMP, training duration, and total distance) in 10 out of 11 players. Conclusions: Heart rate–based training metrics can be used to monitor high-intensity intermittent-running-capacity changes in professional soccer players. The dose–response relationship is also largely detected using accelerometer-based metrics (ie, NBL) to track changes in high-intensity intermittent-running capacity of professional soccer players.

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