Seasonal Variation in Physical Performance–Related Variables in Male NCAA Division III Soccer Players

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine changes in various aerobic and anaerobic physical performance measures in male National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III soccer players during the competitive soccer season. Twelve starters of the men's soccer team (mean +/- SD; age = 20.0 +/- 0.9 years, height = 175.7 +/- 8.1 cm, body mass = 73.9 +/- 11.00 kg, body mass index [BMI] 24.0 +/- 3.0 kg.m2, and percent body fat = 10.6 +/- 5.4%) were tested at the beginning (PRS) and the end (POS) of the collegiate soccer season. Each experimental trial included a maximal aerobic capacity test (VO2max); 10-, 30-, and 40-m sprints; pro-agility test; and the Wingate anaerobic power test (WAnT). From PRS to POS, VO2max significantly increased (51.05 +/- 5.97 vs. 54.64 +/- 4.90 ml.kg-1.min-1), and the 10- and 30-m sprint were significantly lower (2.03 +/- 0.15 vs. 1.96 +/- 0.11 seconds and 4.72 +/- 0.26 vs. 4.51 +/- 0.24 seconds, respectively). Anthropometric measures, 40-m sprint, pro-agility test, and WAnT were not significantly different between PRS and POS. The results of this study indicate that NCAA Division III male soccer players appear to improve aerobic and anaerobic performance measures during the competitive soccer season. It is arguable that these performance improvements may represent a poor preseason conditioning level that may result in a competitive disadvantage during the early stages of the season. An ongoing process of recruiting better-quality players that may closely follow the off-season training regimen may partially remedy this problem.

Relationships between Balance and Functional Performance in Football Players

“…Three-corner run test used in this study assesses the speed endurance and anaerobic endurance in football players (Rösch et al, 2000, Taskin, 2009). The time of completion of this test by football players was 31.29 s. Some authors used Wingate anaerobic power test to measure the anaerobic performance in football (Gacesa et al, 2009;Magal et al, 2009;Meckel et al, 2009). The Wingate test consists of pedaling for 30 seconds at a maximum effort.…”

Within-Season Variation of Fitness in Elite Youth Female Soccer Players

“…More specifically, performance level on soccer-specific tests has been found to correlate with match performance in terms of the distance covered at high-intensity -a key determinant of physical match performances -emphasizing the value of such tests to soccer performance [5,7]. The variation in fitness over the course of a season has been investigated extensively in male soccer players of different playing standard, age and nationality [6,[8][9][10][11]. In general, the existing research on male players has indicated that over the course of a season aerobic performance is improved mid-season, after which a decline is reported; whilst sprint and agility performance improve throughout the competitive season [6,[8][9][10][11].…”

“…The variation in fitness over the course of a season has been investigated extensively in male soccer players of different playing standard, age and nationality [6,[8][9][10][11]. In general, the existing research on male players has indicated that over the course of a season aerobic performance is improved mid-season, after which a decline is reported; whilst sprint and agility performance improve throughout the competitive season [6,[8][9][10][11]. However, much of the research has focused on only few components of fitness, which does not present a holistic evaluation of the players in the respective studies.…”

Maximal Aerobic Power Characteristics of Male Professional Soccer Players, 1989–2012

“…4,6,7 Stølen et al 1 claim that junior soccer players traditionally have lower VO 2max than seniors. Casajús 8 and Magal et al 9 noted a higher VO 2max at the end of the season, while Heller et al 10 and Metaxas et al 11 reported best VO 2max at the end of preseason or beginning of season. Stølen et al 1 claim that VO 2max among high-performance teams has been elevated over the last decade compared with values reported in the 1980s.…”