To examine the activity profiles of international goalball players and individual player profiles using wearable devices.

Soccer players are required to accelerations, decelerations, and change directions throughout a game. To plan an effective training program to improve those factors that related to it must first be identified from the actual soccer game. The purpose of this study was to investigate the occurrence frequency of accelerations (Acc), decelerations (Dec), and changes of directions (CoD) during the game and their frequency under high intensity events (HIE) circumstances. Participants were thirty female soccer players in Japan. All players from university whose team belongs to the first division of university league. Players were categorized in three different playing positions: defenders, midfielders, and strikers. Movement patterns were measured by using Inertial Measurement Units (OptimEye S5, Catapult Sports, Australia), a wearable device so each participant could wear it during the experiment was conducted. Acc, Dec, CoD, the sum of these three, and HIE (> 2.5 m/s), were extracted using the manufactureʼs software. As a result, the mean number of events was 1.0 ± 0.4 Acc/min, 0.8 ± 0.4 Dec/min, 10.4 ± 10.2 CoD/min, and HIE was 0.4 ± 0.2 Acc/min, 0.2 ± 0.1 Dec/min, 0.8 ± 0.5 CoD/min. The midfielders displayed the highest occurrence frequency in the sum of HIE. The result indicates that HIE are dependent on the positional role within a team, and that for soccer coaches, it is important to implement specializing training based on the understanding of the characteristics of female soccer as a sport and on the scientific knowledge that we could acquire from the actual games.

No abstract

To investigate the sprinting ability with change of direction (COD) involving decision making in female soccer players to compare it with athletes in a different sports (soccer vs. track-and-field), as well as to compare among competitive levels (Higher performance group [HPG] vs. Lower performance group [LPG]).Thirty-three university female athletes participated in this study and were divided into 4 groups (n = 24: soccer [n = 11: HPG, n = 11: LPG] n = 9: track-and-field). The following protocols were utilized to determine the sprinting ability in a straight line and with COD involved in the decision making. We measured the time from the 20 meter (m) sprint test for the straight sprinting ability. We also conducted the 20 m sprint with cutting movement 90 degree at the 10 m point where athletes needed to make a decision whether they turn right or left according to the light stimulation at 2.5, 5 and 7.5 m using infrared timing gates (Smart-Speed).The 20 m straight sprint time among track-and-field athletes were significant faster than soccer players (p < 0.05). There were no significant differences between soccer players and track-and-field athletes on other measured variables. In the female soccer groups, the 20 m sprint time among did not differ significantly between HPG and LPG. However, all sprint times of COD involving the decision making with HPG were significantly faster than LPG (p < 0.05).Our study suggested that the COD ability with decision making was not correlated to the 20 m sprinting performance in a straight line.