The purpose of the present study was to compare the performance in repeated sprint ability (RSA) and repeated changes-of-direction (RCOD) among elite soccer players with different age categories. Forty-nine elite soccer players from the same club and from different age categories (Pro2: n = 8, U19: n = 18, U17: n = 13, and U15: n = 10) participated in this study. Each player was tested in both ...

This paper analyzes effects of different practice task constraints on heart rate (HR) variability during 4v4 smallsided football games. Participants were sixteen football players divided into two age groups (U13, Mean age: 12.4±0.5 yrs; U15: 14.6±0.5). The task consisted of a 4v4 sub-phase without goalkeepers, on a 25x15 m field, of 15 minutes duration with an active recovery period of 6 minute...

It is recommended that soccer players consume a high carbohydrate diet to augment performance. However, growing evidence suggests that there is a link between high free-sugar (FS) intake (>5% total energy intake; TEI) and metabolic diseases. Furthermore, foods that are often high in sugar, such as processed foods, are typically lacking in nutrient quality. We therefore analysed total-sugar, FS,...

AIM The aim of this study was an epidemiological report of the injuries to young soccer players from pretraining centres (12 to 15 years: U12-U15) and training centres (16 to 20 years: U16-U20). METHOD Over 3 years, 618 injuries were analysed, concerning an average of 137 players per season (66 and 71 players in U12-U15 and U16-U20, respectively). The injuries were diagnosed by a physician. N...

OBJECTIVES Anthropometric and physiological profiles of national sepak takraw players were determined. METHODS Thirty nine players, specialising in the three playing positions (tekong/server, feeder, and killer/spiker) were divided into three age categories of under 15 (U15), under 18 (U18), and under 23 (U23) years of age. Height, weight, percent body fat (%bf), maximum oxygen consumption (V...

BACKGROUND Participation in boys' youth lacrosse has dramatically increased in recent years. Yet, research on the incidence of youth lacrosse injuries is limited. This study describes the epidemiology of boys' youth lacrosse injuries. FINDINGS Aggregate injury and exposure data was collected from 550 boys' youth lacrosse players (aged 9-15 years) from eight leagues in four states. Injury freq...

Psychological characteristics are crucial to identifying talents, which is why these are being incorporated in today's multidimensional talent models. In addition to multidimensionality, talent studies are increasingly drawing on holistic theories of development, leading to the use of person-oriented approaches. The present study adopts such an approach by looking at the influence that motivati...

The aim of the study was to investigate test reliability of the Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test level 1 (YYIR1) in 36 high-level youth soccer players, aged between 13 and 18 years. Players were divided into three age groups (U15, U17 and U19) and completed three YYIR1 in three consecutive weeks. Pairwise comparisons were used to investigate test reliability (for distances and heart rate respon...

OBJECTIVES To determine the relationships between physical and performance characteristics and level of skill in youth soccer players aged 12-16 years. METHODS Anthropometry, maturity status, functional and sport-specific parameters were assessed in elite, sub-elite, and non-elite youth players in four age groups: U13 (n = 117), U14 (n = 136), U15 (n = 138) and U16 (n = 99). RESULTS Multiva...

The aim of this study was to quantify the motion demands of match-play in elite U12 to U16 age-group soccer players. Altogether, 112 players from two professional soccer clubs at five age-group levels (U12-U16) were monitored during competitive matches (n = 14) using a 5 Hz non-differential global positioning system (NdGPS). Velocity thresholds were normalized for each age-group using the mean ...