The effectiveness of a practical half-time re-warm-up strategy on performance and the physical response to soccer-specific activity

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess the influence of a half-time (HT) re-warm up (RWU) strategy on measures of performance and the physical and perceptual response to soccer-specific activity. Ten male amateur soccer players completed a control (CON) and RWU trial, in which participants completed 60 minutes (4 x 15-minute periods with a 15-minute HT period interspersing the third and fourth periods) of a soccer-specific exercise protocol. The CON trial comprised a passive 15-minute HT period, whilst the RWU trial comprised a passive 12-minute period, followed by a 3minute RWU. The RWU elicited an improvement in 20m sprint times (d=0.6; CON: 3.42 ± 0.20s; RWU: 3.32 ± 0.12s), and both squat (d=0.6; CON: 26.96 ± 5.00cm; RWU: 30.17 ± 5.13cm) and countermovement jump height (d=0.7; CON: 28.15 ± 4.72cm; RWU: 31.53 ± 5.43cm) immediately following the RWU and into the first 15-minutes of the second half. There were however no significant changes in 5m or 10m sprint performance, perceptions of muscle soreness, or PlayerLoad TM. The player's ratings of perceived exertion were however higher (~2 a.u) following the RWU. The current study supports the use of a HT RWU intervention to elicit acute changes in performance.

A 1-Minute Re-warm Up at High-Intensity Improves Sprint Performance During the Loughborough Intermittent Shuttle Test

“…The improvements in sprint performance could, therefore, have potential performance benefits for intermittent team-sport players. In support of previous observations regarding RW, an improvement in sprint performance after RW was observed, and the magnitude of improvement in sprint performance is comparable to that noted in previous studies (moderate effect sizes; Edholm et al, 2015;Fashioni et al, 2020). Moreover, although previous studies have reported no beneficial influence of RW in sprint performance during the final part of the second half (Mohr et al, 2004;Lovell et al, 2013), the present study is, to the best of our knowledge, the first to observe that RW improves sprint performance in this period.…”

“…This is due to a lack of time during HT and the lack of facilities and space available in the stadium (Towlson et al, 2013). Therefore, the RW used in this study has advantages in terms of both performance and applicability compared to the RW protocols used in the previous study (i.e., duration: 3-7 min, required equipment: machines for whole body vibration or leg press; Lovell et al, 2013;Zois et al, 2013;Fashioni et al, 2020). While better sprint performance and the benefits of RW were observed, the MVC force was not affected by the RW.…”

“…However, only 58% of players utilize this strategy because the RW duration of previous protocols exceeds a realistic time frame to be able to implement this strategy (Towlson et al, 2013). A previous study recommended within 3-min RW for practical application (Towlson et al, 2013), and recent studies reported the effectiveness of a 3-min RW on exercise performance (Yanaoka et al, 2018a,b;Fashioni et al, 2020). To make RW more applicable, it is necessary to develop an RW that players can perform in a short time-frame (within 1 min) of leaving the dressing room and the commencement of the second half.…”

Acute Effects on Physical Performance Measures after 45 Min of Official Competition in Youth Soccer Players

“…Before jumping, players were instructed to rest their hands on the hips while performing a downward movement followed by a maximum vertical jump. All players were instructed to keep their knees extended during the flight phase of the jump, and to land in an upright position to avoid the possibility of overestimating jump height, such that they maintain dorsiflexion of the ankles until landing [ 6 , 14 , 30 , 31 ].…”

“…The decrease in physical performance in the first minutes of the second half has been demonstrated both in the total distance covered [ 8 , 10 , 11 ] and in the distance covered at high and low intensity [ 4 , 10 , 11 , 12 ] compared to the same period corresponding to the first half. Due to this, various types of re-warm up strategies have been performed during half time [ 2 , 6 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 ], and are thereby applied as a method to attenuate the loss of performance in the initial minutes of the second half. Conversely, Mohr et al [ 13 ] reported that the players who re-warmed up in half time had a greater performance decrement at the end of the game than the control players who did not.…”