Training and match load monitoring in Argentinean professional soccer players:
A comparison between regular and congested periods
Keywords:
professional soccer, training performance, match performance, external load demands, training/match ratios, regular match period, match-congested periodAbstract
Training/match load monitoring is considered a relevant procedure in order to control and identify the need for adjusting the stimuli provided to the match demands in soccer players. Besides, it can be fundamental to reduce the injury risk as a means of optimizing performance when the teams have to participate in congested match periods. The main aim of the present study was to quantify and compare weekly accumulated training and match load (and the corresponding training/match ratio; TMr) in Argentine professional soccer players during two in-season periods (regular competition [RP] vs. match congested period [MCP]). Ten soccer players were considered starters over two different in-season periods of 8 weeks. The external load was monitored by GPS (50-Hz) of each player during typical training sessions and official matches. Weekly data on total distance covered (TD), running distance (RD), high-speed distance (HSD), sprint distance (SPD), very high-intensity accelerations-decelerations (VHIA; VHID), player load (PL), and high metabolic power distance (HMLD) were recorded. An individual TMr was calculated for each external load measure. During MCP, the players presented significantly lower values only in external training load for TD, RD, SP, and PL (p < .01), but no significant differences were found for the rest of the metrics related to relative training and match load (p > .05). Regarding the absolute accumulative load, every training load variable decreased during MCP, whereas the opposite was observed for the total match metrics. Additionally, all the TMr ratios were significantly higher during the RP (p < .001). The findings indicate that a MCP had no impact on the relative match load in any studied variable, with substantially higher values of VHIA. Moreover, an adequate stimulus of this mentioned variable should be applied during the days before the competition, especially in MCP. This information can help to improve training prescriptions based on a weekly periodization strategy for both starting and non-starting players, especially during match-congested periods.
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