External and internal loads during the competitive season in professional female soccer players according to their playing position: differences between training and competition

Abstract

The aim of this study was to compare external (EL) and internal loads (IL) during training sessions compared to official matches in elite female soccer players according to their playing position. Training and match data were obtained during the 2017/18 season from eighteen players (age: 26.5±5.7 years; height: 164.4±5.3 cm; body mass: 58.56±5.58 kg) from a first Division Spanish team. The EL (total distance covered; high speed running distance; number of accelerations and decelerations) was assessed with a global positioning system (GPS) and triaxial accelerometer. The IL was assessed with ratings of perceived exertion (RPE; and session-RPE). The EL and the IL from official matches were higher compared to training sessions (p<0.05; effect size [ES]: 0.6-5.4). In official matches, the EL was greater in Attackers (AT) and Central Midfielders (CM) versus Central Backs (p<0.05; ES: 0.21-1.74). During training sessions, the EL was similar between playing positions (p>0.05; ES: 0.03-0.87). The EL and the IL are greater in official matches compared to training sessions, with greater match-related EL in AT and CM players. Current results may help practitioners to better understand and modulate training session's loads according to their playing position, potentially contributing to their performance readiness and injury risk reduction.

Physical Demands of Women's Soccer Matches: A Perspective Across the Developmental Spectrum

“…Translated to women's soccer, that would mean if total distances during matches were ∼7 km (youth), ∼9 km (college), or ∼11 km (professional/elite), then total weekly volume should roughly be 14-18, 18-22, and 22-28 km, respectively. These theoretical targets for total weekly training distance seem to be somewhat aligned with what has been reported for professional teams (∼16-22 km, exclusive of matches) (Mara et al, 2015b;Moraleda et al, 2021). Please note, the ratio (2.0-2.5X) would only be applied to total volume since evidence-based recommendations on other metrics (i.e., sprint distance, volume of accelerations, metabolic power) do not currently exist.…”

“…There is substantially more evidence describing the locomotor demands of elite female soccer with a fairly even distribution between professional (domestic) (Krustrup et al, 2005;Mohr et al, 2008;Andersson et al, 2010;Bradley et al, 2014;Datson et al, 2017;Mara et al, 2017b;Nakamura et al, 2017;DeWitt et al, 2018;Vescovi and Falenchuk, 2019;Julian et al, 2020;Scott et al, 2020a;Moraleda et al, 2021;Principe et al, 2021) and international matches (Mohr et al, 2008;Andersson et al, 2010;Ritschard and Tschopp, 2012;Hewitt et al, 2014;Martínez-Lagunas and Scott, 2016; Trewin et al, 2018a,b;Ramos et al, 2019;Bradley and Scott, 2020;Scott et al, 2020a,b).…”

“…The average total distances reported among professional (∼8,200-11,000 m) and international (∼9,300-11,000 m) level matches are generally similar. The majority of studies have demonstrated movement rates between 100 and 120 m/min (Krustrup et al, 2005;Mohr et al, 2008;Andersson et al, 2010;Bradley et al, 2014;Hewitt et al, 2014;Datson et al, 2017;Mara et al, 2017b;Trewin et al, 2018a,b;Julian et al, 2020;Scott et al, 2020b) with only a few showing movement rates below 100 m/min DeWitt et al, 2018;Moraleda et al, 2021;Principe et al, 2021) and one above 120 m/min (Datson et al, 2017). Interestingly, only the top finishing teams in the 2015 and 2019 FIFA Women's World Cups had movement rates that were aligned (105-113 m/min) with the general consensus from the literature, whereas the bottom finishing teams were between 86 and 94 m/min (Bradley and Scott, 2020).…”

“…A few studies described both acceleration and deceleration profiles (Ramos et al, 2019;Moraleda et al, 2021;Principe et al, 2021). The Brazilian women's national team was monitored during the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and had average acceleration and deceleration counts ranging from 201-218 to 161-182 per match, respectively (Ramos et al, 2019).…”

In-Season Internal Load and Wellness Variations in Professional Women Soccer Players: Comparisons between Playing Positions and Status

“…Recently, it was confirmed that some of these tests may reflect the in-game running outputs in first Division league Portuguese women soccer players [ 31 ], thus suggesting that a systematic discrepancy in game demands depending on player position would not be so evident in females, which could be observed in the study of Vescovi et al [ 32 ], as compared to substantial between-position differences generally found in male counterparts [ 66 , 67 ]. More specific to the present context, external training load in a first Division Spanish women’s team revealed no significant differences as a function of playing position (central defenders, wide defenders, central midfielders, wide midfielders and strikers) [ 68 ]. Results from a meta-analysis confirm the internal–external training load associations in team sports [ 10 ], thereby again making our result concerning training outcomes being independent of playing position compatible with the literature.…”