Research Impact: The physical demands of team sports such as soccer have been traditionally evaluated in terms of distance covered or time spent in different speed zones. However this does not take into the multidirectional movement patterns related to game specific activity and the energy demands associated with change of direction linked to acceleration and deceleration. The purpose of this study therefore was to investigate the influence that different frequencies of deceleration and acceleration actions had on the physiological demands in professional soccer players. The results of the study suggest that increasing the frequency of decelerations and accelerations at high intensity running speed alters the movement demands and elevates the physiological responses in professional players. This data has implications for the monitoring of physical performance and implementation of training drills.
Tang, R., Murtagh, C., Warrington, G., Cable, T., Morgan, O., O’boyle, A., Burgess, D., Morgans, R., and Drust, B. Directional Change Mediates the Physiological Response to High-Intensity Shuttle Running in Professional Soccer Players. Sports 2018, 6(2), 39; doi:10.3390/sports6020039
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