Differences in Sprint Mechanical Force–Velocity Profile Between Trained Soccer and Futsal Players

Abstract

Purpose: To compare the sprint mechanical force–velocity (F–V) profile between soccer and futsal players. A secondary aim was, within each sport, to study the differences in sprint mechanical F–V profile between sexes and players of different levels. Methods: A total of 102 soccer players (63 men) and 77 futsal players (49 men) who were competing from the elite to amateur levels in the Spanish league participated in this investigation. The testing procedure consisted of 3 unloaded maximal 40-m sprints. The velocity–time data recorded by a radar device were used to calculate the variables of the sprint acceleration F–V profile (maximal theoretical force [F0], maximal theoretical velocity [V0], maximal power [Pmax], decrease in the ratio of horizontal to resultant force [DRF], and maximal ratio of horizontal to resultant force [RFpeak]). Results: Futsal players showed a higher F0 than soccer players (effect size [ES] range: 0.11–0.74), while V0 (ES range: −0.48 to −1.15) and DRF (ES range: −0.75 to −1.45) was higher for soccer players. No significant differences were observed between soccer and futsal players for Pmax (ES range: −0.43 to 0.19) and RFpeak (ES range: −0.49 to 0.30). Men and high-level players presented an overall enhanced F–V profile compared with women and their lower-level counterparts, respectively. Conclusions: The higher F0 and lower V0 of futsal players could be caused by the game’s specific demands (larger number of accelerations but over shorter distances than in soccer). These results show that the sprint mechanical F–V profile is able to distinguish between soccer and futsal players.

Physical and Physiological Match-Play Demands and Player Characteristics in Futsal: A Systematic Review

“…Data from match demands demonstrates that futsal players perform ∼26 sprints with an average duration of 2-4 s over 8-20 m (Caetano et al, 2015). Considering that, several authors (Gorostiaga et al, 2009;Galy et al, 2015;Charlot et al, 2016;Miloski et al, 2016;Nakamura et al, 2016;Naser and Ali, 2016;Loturco et al, 2018Loturco et al, , 2020De Freitas et al, 2019;Jiménez-Reyes et al, 2019;Nikolaidis et al, 2019;Sekulic et al, 2019;Teixeira et al, 2019;Nunes et al, 2020) investigated the sprint performance of futsal players ( Table 3) Regarding competition level, a training approach based on the force-velocity profile found that 1st-Division futsal players sprinted 5 m in 1.36 ± 0.04 s and 20 m in 3.36 ± 0.09 s while 2nd-Division players demonstrated lower sprint performances (5 m: 1.40 ± 0.02 s; and 20 m: 3.46 ± 0.04 s) (Jiménez-Reyes et al, 2019). Along the same lines, other studies (Naser and Ali, 2016;Sekulic et al, 2019) observed that elite futsal players run faster over 5, 10, and 20 m than sub-elite or social players.…”

Sprint acceleration mechanical profiling of international cricketers

“…The use of timing gates to assess sprinting profiles has been shown to be valid and reliable 49 . However, when using retrospective sprint data from timing gates there are notable limitations 7,11 . For example, it is advised participants are placed 5-10 cm directly behind the triggering beam so the initial horizontal movement is captured.…”

“…Consequently, it is unsurprising that there are moderately greater RF max and F 0 values in senior seam bowlers compared to senior batters. Whilst differences in sprint mechanical profiles have been reasonably well established between sports, this study adds to the small body of work assessing differences in positional sprint mechanical profiles13 and research in mechanically similar sports such as rugby league compared to rugby union12 and futsal compared to soccer11 . Based on the findings from the current study and the aforementioned previous studies, it appears that force velocity profiling may be appropriate to detect differences within and between mechanically similar sports and positions.There was a moderate increase in the F-V Slope (ES = 0.79; 90% CI 0.15 -1.40) and DRF (ES = 0.75; 90% CI 0.11 -1.35) in the senior batters compared to the under-19 batters, despite no significant differences.…”

“…Until recently 7,8 , the mechanical properties of sprinting have only been assessed in a limited variety of sport such as soccer [9][10][11] , rugby 12 , American football 13 and in world class sprinters 14 . Sprint mechanical reference values now exist across a multitude of different sports, playing level and gender 7, 8 , with notable differences observed.…”

Differences in the Force Velocity Mechanical Profile and the Effectiveness of Force Application During Sprint-Acceleration Between Sprinters and Hurdlers

“…All sessions began with a specific sprint warm-up that involved a 10 min of low-pace running, followed by 5 min of lower limb muscle dynamic stretching, 5 min of sprint-specific drills, and three progressive 40-m sprints separated by 2 min of passive rest (Jiménez-Reyes et al, 2018a). At the first testing session, each athlete performed two maximal sprints of 40-m from a threepoint crouching position with 5 min of rest between each trial.…”