Improving performance and decreasing the risk of injury soccer players requires a careful balance and management between the application of training load and recovery. The response to competition has been measured in several methods (e.g., biomechanical, neuromuscular, psychological and physiological methods), including the physiological measurement...

Modern sport shoes, and especially football shoes, very often have a stiff sole structure. The synthetic and sometimes carbon material used have clear advantages for performance: they are lightweight and have a good energy absorption-restitution ratio, which is useful for overall performance in sprinting, cutting,...

The preseason is one of the most interesting moments and discussed by the football professional community. One of the objectives of the preseason is to develop physical capacities and prepare the player for the competition. However, there are no studies which have compared the association in...

The routine evaluation of fat-free mass throughout the season provides useful information for coaches. In fact, fat-free mass is considered the best longitudinal predictor for leg power during late adolescence in young soccer players. However, X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is costly and cannot be used frequently. Therefore,...

English Premier League seems to possess a more direct style of play, faster game tempo, higher number of heading and ground duels and more aggressiveness than other top European leagues. In fact, this competition has evolved tactically and physically by increasing the number of passes, passing...

Frequent repetitions of high intensity movements that involve significant musculoskeletal forces and joint loads can result in between-limb asymmetry in functional performance where preferred lower-limb dominance may be evident. However, research investigating the association between asymmetry and athletic performance has shown equivocal findings ("trivial-moderate" association...

BACKGROUND, CATEGORIZATION & EXPERT OPINION Football is the only sport where a player uses their head to intentionally strike the ball during the course of play. At all levels of play, concussions are more likely to occur in the act of heading than in other actions of...

Frequent repetitions of high intensity movements that involve significant musculoskeletal forces and joint loads can result in between-limb asymmetry in functional performance where preferred lower-limb dominance may be evident. However, research investigating the association between asymmetry and athletic performance has shown equivocal findings ("trivial-moderate" association...