Power and endurance in Hong Kong professional football players

Background The purpose of this study was to investigate the power and endurance characteristics of Hong Kong professional football players. Training recommendations can be deduced based on the comparison between Hong Kong and international football players. Methods Eighty-eight Hong Kong professional football players (height, 177.2 ± 6.4 cm; weight, 70.6 ± 7.6 kg; age, 25.6 ± 5.0 years) in the first division league participated in a battery of tests, which included: (1) height, (2) weight, (3) countermovement jump, (4) 30-m sprinting, and (5) Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test Level 2. Results Compared with the test results of the first division players in other countries as reported in the literature (Norway, France, and Scandinavian countries), Hong Kong players were shorter in height (0.1-2.1%), lighter in weight (5.5-8.3%), fair in vertical jump height (-4.8-17%), slower in acceleration (4.2-5.1%) and maximum speed (3-14.2%), and had poorer aerobic and anaerobic endurance (22.9%). Conclusion The present study suggests that Hong Kong football players (or players with similar physique and ability) need to improve their power and endurance.