The Impact of COVID-19 Lockdown on Agility, Explosive Power, and Speed-Endurance Capacity in Youth Soccer Players

Abstract

Our goal was to assess agility, explosive power, and speed-endurance capacity by implementing noninvasive procedures and sport-specific tests. We hypothesized that agility, speed, explosive power, and speed-endurance capacity might be maintained or increased by an individualized home-based training program. Eleven adolescent athletes participated in our study; they executed three tests before the coronavirus outbreak and 13 weeks later, after the pandemic curfew. We used the SpeedCourt System to assess the sport-specific speed and agility parameters and monitor speed-endurance capacity. We conducted the first measurement at the end of the preparatory period, on 28 February 2020. The second session consisted of 4 weeks of regular training and 9 weeks of individual, home-based activities. Compared to the first (pre-pandemic) testing session, our participants demonstrated a significantly improved capacity of the lower limbs’ explosive strength after completing the home-based exercise routine, compared to the first (pre-pandemic) testing session. We found that agility, speed, and explosive power might be maintained at the same level under home-based conditions. We found that it was challenging for the participants to increase their “pre-pandemic” endurance capacities.

Effect of the COVID-19 Confinement Period on Selected Neuromuscular Performance Indicators in Young Male Soccer Players: Can the Maturation Process Counter the Negative Effect of Detraining?

“…Additionally, in a soccer study [40], no differences in CMJ height values were noted, although decreased peak CMJ power output values in elite soccer players were observed. On the contrary, Grazioli et al [23] demonstrated decreased CMJ height values in professional soccer players, whereas Parpa and Michaelides [38] and Pucsok et al [39] reported similar results to those presented here in professional and adolescent soccer players, respectively; however, both studies employed a home training protocol consisting of bodyweight exercises (including plyometric exercises), thus potentially masking the net effects of training cessation. Moreover, changes in the neuromuscular system during growth and maturation (specifically, increases in muscle size, pennation angle, fascicle length, tendon stiffness, and motor unit recruitment) have been reported to lead to enhanced performance related to explosive actions [41].…”

“…Jumping ability, assessed through the CMJ performance, also showed a significant increase (4.96%). Previous research attempting to investigate the effects of the COVID-19 confinement period on vertical jumping performance has yielded equivocal results [23,35,[37][38][39][40]. In the studies by Spyrou et al [35] and Cohen et al [37] in elite futsal and soccer players, respectively, CMJ height values remained unchanged, yet differences in eccentric and landing phase kinetic variables were observed.…”

Analysis of the Sustainability of Long-Term Detraining Caused by COVID-19 Lockdown: Impact on the Maximal Aerobic Speed of Under-16 Soccer Players

“…Detraining during the transition period caused significant performance impairments in a number of physiological and performance measures such as VO2max, time to exhaustion, repeated-sprint ability and Yo-Yo test intermittent-running performance [2,7,8,21]. Moreover, previous studies showed that a structured home-based exercise program during the COVID-19 lockdown was effective in maintaining or improving physical fitness measures such as countermovement jump performance, an indicator of lower extremity explosive strength in elite handball players [22], and youth soccer players [23]. In another study, it was stated that after a 32-week detraining period, caused by the COVID-19 pan-demic lockdown, significant improvements were observed in neuromuscular parameters (vertical jump height, agility, and linear sprints) of young soccer players, depending on maturation-related adaptations [11].…”

“…These results suggest that the home-based exercise performed by both groups during this period was partially sufficient, and that the detraining caused by the COVID-19 lockdown on the MAS was possibly mitigated. Pucsok et al [23] found that the endurance capacity of young soccer players was moderately deteriorated after completing a 13-week home-based training routine during the COVID-19 lockdown. In additon, recent studies stated that cardiorespiratory endurance or VO2max, determined by the maximum mean velocity reached in a multistage 20-metre shuttle run test, was decreased in elite handball players [24], youth soccer players [4,25], female soccer players [26], and professional soccer players [22] due to non-specific and insufficient stimuli caused by a home-based exercise program during the COVID-19 lockdown.…”

Impact and control of the COVID pandemic in an elite sports club: Real Madrid

“…Limit the capacity to 6 players at a time, minimizing the time they stay in the facility. Physiotherapy areas: a person in charge is appointed to ensure that whenever this area is accessed, everyone wears a mask and that of good health and particularly in groups of elite athletes who are often subjected to extraordinary disease prevention measures [14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21]. Those publications generally refer to the impact of the disease specifically on the performance of specific athletes and do not include the impact of COVID on a large sports institution as a whole [22].…”