Fluctuations in Well-Being Based on Position in Elite Young Soccer Players during a Full Season

Abstract

The current study surveyed weekly and daily variations of well-being ratings relative to the Hooper Index (HI): fatigue (wFatigue), stress (wStress), delayed onset muscle soreness (wDOMS), and sleep quality (wSleep) during a soccer season based on players’ positions. The full-season was divided into three meso-cycles: Early season, week (W)1 to W7; Mid-season, W8 to W13, and End-season, W14 to W20. Twenty-six young players participated in the study (age, 15.5 ± 0.2 years; height, 172.9 ± 4.2 cm; body mass, 61.4 ± 5.6 kg; body fat, 8.6 ± 2.9%; VO2max, 48.4 ± 2.4 mL.kg−1·min−1; maturity offset, 1.9 ± 0.3 years). Participants played in the same team and competed in Iran national under-16 competitions. Well-being status was monitored on training days using the HI questionnaire. The main result was a significant difference between well-being status 5 days before match day (MD) and 4 days before MD, compared to MD for all playing positions (p ≤ 0.001). The highest and lowest records occurred during End-season for wDOMS (strikers = 11.5 ± 8.4 arbitrary units (AU)), Early season (central defenders = 9.5 ± 0.7 AU) and for wFatigue (central midfielders = 11.4 ± 0.9 AU), and Early season (wide defenders = 9.7 ± 0.7 AU), respectively. Overall, the results showed a significant increase in wStress and wSleep for all players’ positions from Early- to End-season. The main application of this study is to make coaches aware of their players’ well-being fluctuations throughout the full season, especially in young elite soccer players, and to avoid injuries, overtraining, and overreaching as much as possible.

In-season monotony, strain and acute/chronic workload of perceived exertion, global positioning system running based variables between player positions of a top elite soccer team

“…The players belong to a team that participated in UEFA Champions League. The participating players included the following field positions: four central defenders (CD), three wide defenders (WD), four central midfielders (CM), three wide midfielders (WM), and three strikers (ST) [ 14 ]. The inclusion criteria were regular participation in most of the training sessions (80 % of weekly training sessions), while the exclusion criteria include lack of player information, illness and/or injury for two consecutive weeks.…”

Wearable Inertial Measurement Unit to Measure External Load: A Full-Season Study in Professional Soccer Players

“…However, the process of load monitoring over the full season, considering the playing posing, was few previously evidenced [10][11][12]. In fact, when the volume of training/competition increases in conjunction with insufficient recovery, the players may enter into an NFOR marked by decrements in performance due to cumulative fatigue during the season [13]. It has been shown that there are different performance level differences between player positions [14][15][16].…”

“…Furthermore, controlling the physiological and physical condition of players provides information about their unique requirements [17]. Recognizing the demands is one of the key advantages of individual monitoring based on their playing position [13]. In addition, diverse energy systems, physiological, and psychological demands are represented by different roles and needs in each playing position [18].…”

Age-related differences in linear sprint in adolescent female soccer players

“…However, concerning the distance of sprint, Valquer et al [ 17 ] observed that 96% of sprints during a match are shorter than 30 m, with 49% of them being shorter than 10 m. So the ability to accelerate and maximum running speed are crucial in game performance. For this reason, coaches should take into account the development of these abilities relative to the age [ 18 ] and their stage of maturation [ 19 – 21 ].…”

“…Hormones are stimulated during the period of puberty until full maturity is reached [ 22 ]. The increase in circulating hormonal levels improves neural function, coordination andpower and also produces both oxidative and non-oxidative changes in the metabolism [ 21 , 22 ]. Any inappropriate stimulus could cause some alteration in the development of the adolescent and that is why, the training loads should adapt to the speed of subject’s maturation [ 23 ].…”