ABSTRACT
To determine the distribution of match-activities relative to maximum-intensities during official match in elite soccer players. One hundred and forty-eight Italian Serie A soccer players were monitored during 46 official matches (680 individual-samples). Total distance (TD), high-speed running (HSR), very high-speed running (VHSR), sprint, acceleration and deceleration were calculated. Maximum-intensities (1-minpeak) were used as the reference value to determine the distribution of relative intensity across the whole-match demands (90-minavg). Time and distance higher than 90-minavg (>90-minavg) were also calculated. The relative (m·min−1) 90-minavg vs1-minpeak was 59.6(4.4)% for TD, 26.2(4.4)% for HSR, 16.0(3.5)% for VHSR, 9.3(2.3)% for sprint, 19.2(4.6)% for acceleration and 15.4(5.2)% for deceleration. Total distance covered >90-minavg was ~61.4(5.0)% for TD, ~68.6(1.9)% for HSR, ~80.2(1.3)% for VHSR, ~95.7(0.4)% for sprint, ~75.5(1.3)% for acceleration and ~64.0(2.6)% for deceleration. With the exception of small [ES: 0.50 (0.26 to 0.73)] difference for acceleration, the relative distance >90-minavg was largely to very largely (ES: 1.64 to 7.78) higher (P< 0.05) than the 90-minavg for each metric. While no between-position difference (P> 0.05) was found for total minutes >90-minavg, between-position differences (P< 0.05) for the total distance >90-minavg were retrieved across each metric. The distribution of the activities relative to maximal intensities could assist coaches for soccer training prescriptions.
Acknowledgments
The authors thank all practitioners who collaborated in this study.
Disclosure statement
The authors have no conflicts of interests to declare.