THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
Elite football is characterized by high physical demands and frequent changes in exercise intensity. In the context of the game, each player performs ~1000-1400 short activities, with changes every 4-6 s, and high-intensity running actions approximately every 70 s (Stolen et al.,2005). Thus, sprint speed and power play a determinant role in elite football. Previous studies have reported that both speed and power can be regarded as important indicators of soccer performance, with top-level players usually being faster and more powerful than their less specialized peers (Coen et al., 1998; Arnason et al., 2004). Despite this evidence, there is a need to examine the frequency of these fast and powerful activities in the most decisive moment of the match: the goal situation.
STUDY OBJECTIVES
To assess the frequency of speed-power actions (i.e., straight sprints, change-of-direction sprints, jumps, rotations) in goal situations in professional football using video analysis.
MAIN RESULTS
After analyzing 409 goals recorded during the second half of the season (2007/08) in the first German National League the authors observed that:
- In 298 out of 360 goals (83%) at least one powerful action of either the scoring or the assisting player was noted.
- In goal situations, the majority of powerful actions performed by scoring players were straight sprints (45% of all the examined goals), followed by jumps (16%), and rotations and change-of-direction sprints (6% each).
- Likewise, for assisting players, the most frequent actions that preceded goal situations were straight sprints (n = 137), followed by rapid rotations (n = 28), jumps (n = 22), and change-of-direction sprints (n = 18).
- Before goal scoring, straight sprints for the scoring player were predominantly (75%) performed without the ball; in contrast, assisting players sprinted most frequently (64%) with the ball.
CONCLUSIONS
Straight sprinting was the most frequent powerful action prior to scoring goals in elite football, for both scoring and assisting players. Other speed-power actions such as jumps, rapid rotations and directional changes were shown to play an important and decisive role in elite football performance.
FSI STATEMENTS
- Maximizing speed- and power-related capacities is an essential requirement for successful performances in modern football.
- Coaches and sport scientists should be aware of this necessity and implement effective speed and power testing and training approaches.
- In this context, practitioners are advised to select assessment methods and training routines that are easy to conduct and apply even during congested match periods, which is a current reality worldwide.
- An efficient and feasible intervention plan related to speed-power development will allow players to achieve and maintain higher and more consistent levels of performance throughout the competitive period.
Stølen, T., Chamari, K., Castagna, C., & Wisløff, U. (2005). Physiology of soccer. Sports Medicine, 35(6), 501-536.
Coen, B., Urhausen, A., Coen, G., &Kindermann, W. (1998). Der Fußball-Score: Bewertung der körperlichen Fitness. Dt. Zschr. f. Sportmed, 49(6), 187-192.
Arnason, A., Sigurdsson, S. B., Gudmundsson, A., Holme, I., Engebretsen, L., & Bahr, R. (2004). Physical fitness, injuries, and team performance in soccer. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 36(2), 278-285.