Influence of oxygen uptake kinetics on physical performance in youth soccer
PurposeTo examine the relationship between oxygen uptake kinetics (VO2 kinetics) and physical measures associated with soccer match play, within a group of highly trained youth soccer players.MethodsSeventeen highly trained youth soccer players (age: 13.3 0.4 year, self assessed Tanner stage: 3 1) volunteered for the study. Players initially completed an incremental treadmill protocol to exhaustion, to establish gaseous exchange threshold (GET) and VO2max (59.1 5.4 mL kg 1 min 1) On subsequent visits, players completed a step transition protocol from rest moderate intensity exercise, followed by an immediate transition, and from moderate to severe intensity exercise (moderate: 95 GET, severe: 60 during which VO2 kinetics were determined. Physical soccer based performance was assessed using a maximal Yo Yo intermittent recovery test level 1 (Yo Yo IR1) and via GPS derived measures of physical soccer performance during soccer match play, three 2 x 20 min, 11 v 11 matches, to gain measures of physical performance during soccer match play.ResultsPartial correlations revealed significant inverse relationships between the unloaded to moderate transition time constant (tau) and: Yo Yo IR1 performance (r 0.58, P 0.02) and GPS variables [total distance (TD) r 0.64, P 0.007, high speed running (HSR) r 0.64, P 0.008 and high speed running efforts (HSReff) r 0.66, P 0.005].ConclusionMeasures of VO2 kinetics are related to physical measures associated with soccer match play and could potentially be used to distinguish between those of superior physical performance, within a group of highly trained youth soccer players.
European Journal of Applied Physiology