Improving hydration in elite male footballers during a national team training camp – an observational case study

Abstract

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to (i) assess hydration levels in elite male football players during a national team training camp before and during qualifying matches, (ii) evaluate the effect of coaching strategies for hydration based on feedback from hydration monitoring, and (iii) assess possible relationships between hydration status and training load or wellness markers.[Methods] Thirty-one male players (age 27±4 yrs; height 185±6 cm; weight 82.9±6.7 kg; body fat 10.4±2.3%) representing a national team from the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) participated. The players were studied during three different national team training camps related to the UEFA Nations League tournament. Urine specific gravity (USG) was measured to assess hydration status. During all camps, the players were actively coached on improving strategies for hydration and given individual feedback on their test results. The training load was measured using GPS technology, and wellness questionnaires were completed.[Results] USG decreased progressively and significantly (p<0.005) during camp 1 and hydration status improved over the three camps, with fewer dehydrated and more well-hydrated players identified during the last part of camp 3. Significantly (p<0.05) higher USG values were observed 2 days prior to a match (MD-2) than on match day (MD); consequently, 52% of the players were dehydrated on MD-2 and only 6% on MD. No correlations were observed between hydration status and training load or wellness markers.[Conclusion] Dehydration is a challenge in elite male football, but continuous monitoring of hydration status and coaching on hydration strategies can lead to major improvements and reduce the degree of dehydration.

Maturation Selection Biases and Relative Age Effect in Italian Soccer Players of Different Levels

“…Soccer is practiced all over the world, and male soccer players are among the most studied groups of athletes in sports sciences [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]. Soccer players at a high level require highly developed physical capacities, psychological factors, and perceptual, cognitive, and motor skills such as running, jumping, heading, kicking, passing, dribbling, and balance [ 4 , 5 , 6 ].…”

Changes in Body Mass and Movement Strategy Maintain Jump Height Immediately after Soccer Match

“…The total sweat rate was 2.04 ± 0.57 L during first 90 min of soccer match play in the study by Mohr et al (2023), and the lead author's research group previously reported that many professional soccer players are typically hypo-hydrated [36]. The monitoring and coaching of hydration status and strategies, respectively, can improve hydration among professional soccer players [36]. Although the intake of carbohydrate-electrolyte gels improved blood glucose levels and soccer dribbling performance during an extra-time period of a simulated match, it did not attenuate reductions in hydration status or CMJ height [37].…”

“…Although alterations in muscle glycogen stores post-match may be considered more of a metabolic than neuromuscular response, a recent study showed that through a principal component analysis, a force plate assessment of the CMJ can distinguish metabolic fatigue from NMF [35]; however, more research involving this approach is required. The total sweat rate was 2.04 ± 0.57 L during first 90 min of soccer match play in the study by Mohr et al (2023), and the lead author's research group previously reported that many professional soccer players are typically hypo-hydrated [36]. The monitoring and coaching of hydration status and strategies, respectively, can improve hydration among professional soccer players [36].…”

Extended Match Time Exacerbates Fatigue and Impacts Physiological Responses in Male Soccer Players

“…The total sweat rate was 2.04 ± 0.57 L during normal time, which is within the range usually observed in other studies at moderately high temperature ( 30 ), but rose to nearly 3.5 L during extra time, resulting in a 26% higher sweat rate in extra time compared with normal time. Despite the fact that no difference was observed in hematocrit levels between the 90- and 120-min time points, dehydration may become a component contributing to deteriorated performance in the extra-time period, especially because a high number of elite soccer players are hypohydrated in normal conditions ( 43 ).…”