BACKGROUND Knee injuries end many careers among female soccer players. The number of injuries can be anticipated to increase because of the increasing popularity of the sport worldwide and the higher incidence of knee injuries among young females compared with males. METHODS In a community-based intervention trial performed from February 1 through October 31, 2007, we sought to reduce the num...

We investigated the evolution and stability of anthropometric and soccer-specific endurance characteristics of 42 high-level, pubertal soccer players with high, average and low yo-yo intermittent recovery test level 1 (YYIR1) baseline performances over two and four years. The rates of improvement were calculated for each performance group, and intra-class correlations were used to verify short-...

considering the effects that anxiety can have on performance, the relationship between anxiety and performance has interested researchers for many years. the aim of this study was to examine the effect of neurofeedback alpha/theta intervention on the anxiety reduction and performance enhancement in young soccer players. to do so, 30 soccer players attending the national soccer league of iran we...

This study examined the occurrence and nature of repeated-sprint sequences (RSS) in highly-trained young soccer players, as a function of age, playing position and playing time. Time-motion analyses using a global positioning system (GPS) were performed on 99 highly-trained young soccer (U13, U14, U15, U16, U17 and U18) players during 42 international games. Sprint activities were defined as at...

AIM To determine if there are correlations between the physical fitness of young soccer players assessed by field and laboratory testing. METHODS Thirty four male soccer players took part in the study (mean (SD) age 17.5 (1.1) years, height 177.8 (6.7) cm, weight 70.5 (6.4) kg). Maximal oxygen uptake (VO(2)MAX) during treadmill running and vertical jump height on a force platform were measure...

Since an awareness of key task constraints can be extremely beneficial for coaches, the lack of scientific background about the effects of altered game rules/conditions on individual or team performances during soccer practice is surprising. The aim of the present study was to analyze the influence of different small-sided game (SSG) playing rules (“free-form”, “two touches” and “four passes to...

The aims of the present study were to compare the effects of 1) training at 90 and 100% sprint velocity and 2) supervised versus unsupervised sprint training on soccer-specific physical performance in junior soccer players. Young, male soccer players (17 ± 1 yr, 71 ± 10 kg, 180 ± 6 cm) were randomly assigned to four different treatment conditions over a 7-week intervention period. A control gro...

Objectives: Polymorphisms in α-actinin-3 (ACTN3) gene are considered to be important in the genetic predisposition to human athletic performance. Most of the activities in soccer such as jumping, striking the ball, and running are considered plyometric and explosive. Performance power during such activities depends on the strength of the muscles involved. Therefore, high muscle strength i...

BACKGROUND Femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) is predominant in young male athletes, but not much is known about gait differences in cases of increased hip alpha angles. In our study, the hip alpha angle of Nötzli of soccer players was quantified on the basis of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with axial oblique sequences. The aim of the current study was to compare the rearfoot motion and pla...