See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/297587323

Repeated sprint ability in soccer players: Associations with physiological and

neuromuscular factors

Article  in  The Journal of sports medicine and physical fitness · March 2016

DOI: 10.23736/S0022-4707.16.05776-5

CITATIONS READS

10 5,299

5 authors, including:

Juliano Fernandes da Silva Cosme Franklim Buzzachera

Federal University of Santa Catarina University of Pavia
56 PUBLICATIONS   480 CITATIONS    83 PUBLICATIONS   574 CITATIONS   

SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE

Carlo Castagna Luiz Guilherme Antonacci Guglielmo

University of Rome Tor Vergata Federal University of Santa Catarina
224 PUBLICATIONS   15,618 CITATIONS    185 PUBLICATIONS   1,292 CITATIONS   

SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE

Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:

Physical Performance and Monitoring Match load in Soccer Referees View project

Submaximal Intermittent Evaluation HIT View project

All content following this page was uploaded by Cosme Franklim Buzzachera on 15 October 2018.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

not permitted. It is not permitted to remove, cover, overlay, obscure, block, or change any copyright notices or terms of use which the Publisher may post on the Article. It is not permitted to frame or use framing techniques to enclose any trademark, log
means which may allow access to the Article. The use of all or any part of the Article for any Commercial Use is not permitted. The creation of derivative works from the Article is not permitted. The production of reprints for personal or commercial use i
This document is protected by international copyright laws. No additional reproduction is authorized. It is permitted for personal use to download and save only one file and print only one copy of this Article. It is not permitted to make additional copies
(either sporadically or systematically, either printed or electronic) of the Article for any purpose. It is not permitted to distribute the electronic copy of the article through online internet and/or intranet file sharing systems, electronic mailing or any other
©
COPYRIGHT 2017 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

© 2016 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness 2017 January-February;57(1-2):26-32
Online version at http://www.minervamedica.it DOI: 10.23736/S0022-4707.16.05776-5

ORIGINAL ARTICLE
EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOMECHANICS

Repeated sprint ability in soccer players:

associations with physiological and neuromuscular factors
Marcelo BALDI 1, Juliano F. DA SILVA 2 *, Cosme F. BUZZACHERA 3,
Carlo CASTAGNA 4, Luiz G. A. GUGLIELMO 1

1FederalUniversity of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil; 2Federal University of Alagoas, Maceió, Brazil; 3North University of Paraná,
Londrina, Brazil; 4Football Training and Biomechanics Laboratory, Italian Football Federation, Coverciano, Italy
*Corresponding author: Juliano F. Da Silva, Federal University of Alagoas, Maceió, Alagoas, 57072-900, Brazil. E-mail: [email protected]

A B S T RAC T
BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between repeated sprint ability (RSA, 6×40 m [20+20 m] with 20-s
recovery) and neuromuscular and aerobic fitness variables in male collegiate soccer players.
METHODS: Twenty-six players (age 22.5±3.6 years) were tested on separate days for countermovement jump (CMJ), squat jump (SJ), and
standing long jump (LJ), and for maximal oxygen consumption (V̇ O2max), velocity at onset of blood lactate accumulation (vOBLA), maximal
aerobic speed (vV̇ O2max), and peak blood lactate concentration (peak [La]). They were also tested for best and mean times on a repeated shuttle
sprint ability test.
RESULTS: RSA best time (r=-0.73 and r=-0.54) and RSA mean sprint time (r=-0.69 and r=-0.62) were significantly (P<0.01) correlated with
LJ and CMJ, respectively. Significant correlations (P<0.05) were also found between RSA mean sprint time and sprint decrement with vOBLA
(r=-0.44) and peak [La] (r=0.47), respectively.
CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that RSA performance had a large to very large association with the individual level of jump performance
and to a smaller extent to aerobic fitness variables in male collegiate soccer players. Given this finding, lower limbs’ explosive-strength perform-
ance should be regarded as a relevant factor for male soccer.
(Cite this article as: Baldi M, Da Silva JF, Buzzachera CF, Castagna C, Guglielmo LGA. Repeated sprint ability in soccer players: associations with
physiological and neuromuscular factors. J Sports Med Phys Fitness 2017;57:26-32. DOI: 10.23736/S0022-4707.16.05776-5)
Key words: Field Testing, Intermittent Exercise, Team Sports

I n competitive soccer most of the match outcome-in-

fluencing actions such as sprinting, jumping, tackling,
kicking, and fast changes of direction are performed an-
a recent study, Fernandes Da Silva et al.5 found that the
velocity at onset of blood lactate accumulation (vOB-
LA) rather than maximal oxygen consumption (V̇ O2max)
aerobically.1 Moreover, the ability to reiterate maximal was more strongly correlated with RSA (7×34.2 m with
short-sprints with incomplete recovery, which has been 25-s recovery between sprints), thus suggesting that pe-
often termed repeated sprint ability (RSA), has shown ripheral aerobic adaptations in the muscle derived from
construct and ecological validity in male elite level soc- aerobic training may affect RSA performance in soccer
cer.2 players.6
The RSA performance was reported to be influenced Neuromuscular factors, particularly those related to
or other proprietary information of the Publisher.

by a number of physiological and neuromuscular fac- muscular power (MP), are crucial for several relevant
tors,3 whose relative contributions depend on the num- activities during a soccer match, such as sprinting, ac-
ber and duration of sprint repetitions and the nature, du- celerations and decelerations, and changes of direction.3
ration, and intensity of the recovery between sprints.4 In Given that these soccer match-related activities repli-

26 The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness January-February 2017

not permitted. It is not permitted to remove, cover, overlay, obscure, block, or change any copyright notices or terms of use which the Publisher may post on the Article. It is not permitted to frame or use framing techniques to enclose any trademark, log
means which may allow access to the Article. The use of all or any part of the Article for any Commercial Use is not permitted. The creation of derivative works from the Article is not permitted. The production of reprints for personal or commercial use i
This document is protected by international copyright laws. No additional reproduction is authorized. It is permitted for personal use to download and save only one file and print only one copy of this Article. It is not permitted to make additional copies
(either sporadically or systematically, either printed or electronic) of the Article for any purpose. It is not permitted to distribute the electronic copy of the article through online internet and/or intranet file sharing systems, electronic mailing or any other
©
COPYRIGHT 2017 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA
REPEATED SPRINT ABILITY IN MALE SOCCER PLAYERS BALDI

cate typical movement patterns observed during RSA conditions. An exception is the RSA test protocol pro-
test protocols, it could be speculated that RSA may be posed by Rampinini et al.,2 which was significantly cor-
significantly associated with measures of MP, including related with indicators of match-related physical perfor-
traditional vertical jump tests such as squat jump (SJ) mance during a soccer game. Using a non-experimental,
and countermovement jump (CMJ). Surprisingly, to descriptive correlation design, the present investigation
date, no research has addressed the relationship of RSA examined whether the performance parameters de-
to both neuromuscular, measured by different jumping rived from the RSA test protocol 2 were correlated to
testing protocols, and physiological factors, measured neuromuscular, measured by different jumping test-
by variables such as V̇ O2max, vOBLA, or maximal aero- ing protocols, and/or physiological factors, measured
bic speed (vVO2max), within the same group of soccer in laboratory tests, in male collegiate soccer players.
players. In addition, a common limitation of previous Evidence for the relationship of neuromuscular and/or
studies is that they mostly focused on the relationship physiological factors with RSA would be of importance
between both physiological and neuromuscular factors for coaches and strength and conditioning professionals
and RSA tests, which are not associated with soccer by helping them to design better training programs to
match-related physical performance.7-9 To our knowl- improve RSA.
edge, only the RSA test protocol proposed by Rampi- All players completed three sessions, scheduled on
nini et al.2 was significantly correlated with indicators different days. Each player performed a maximal grad-
of match-related physical performance in male soccer ed exercise test to assess V̇ O2max, vOBLA, and vV̇ O2max,
players. Finally, although studies of soccer have often vertical and horizontal jumping testing protocols, in-
been conducted using measures of MP on the vertical cluding CMJ, SJ, and LJ tests, and an RSA test protocol
plane,10 it is currently recognized that most decisive to determine RSA. Given that the most decisive actions
actions during a soccer match are covered by explo- during a soccer match are covered by explosive move-
sive movements in the horizontal plane.11 Therefore, it ments in the horizontal plane,11 it was hypothesized that
would be expected that measures of MP derived from measures of MP derived from LJ tests would be more
standing long jump (LJ) tests are more predictive of a closely related to a better RSA performance in soccer
better RSA performance in soccer players than more players than more traditional measures of MP using
traditional measures of MP using vertical jumping tests. vertical jumping tests such as CMJ and SJ. It was also
As a consequence of this reasoning, it was thought hypothesized that physiological variables which are
that a better understanding of the physiological and/ predictive of peripheral adaptations derived from aero-
or neuromuscular factors related to RSA in collegiate bic training,6 such as vOBLA, would be more strongly
soccer players would help coaches and strength and related to a better RSA performance than other physi-
conditioning professionals design training programs to ological factors such as V̇ O2max and vV̇ O2max.
improve RSA. Therefore, the aim of the present study
was to examine the relationship between RSA and neu- Subjects
romuscular and aerobic fitness variables in a group of
male collegiate soccer players. Twenty-six male collegiate soccer players (mean age:
22.5±3.6 years, height: 177.5±6.3 cm, body weight:
Materials and methods 72.0±8.3 kg) volunteered to participate in the study,
which was approved by the Institutional Ethics Com-
It is well documented that RSA might play a sig- mittee. Each participant gave his written informed
nificant role in match-related physical performance of consent after explanation of the purpose, experimental
top-level soccer players.2 As a consequence, coaches procedures, possible risks, and benefits. The selected
and applied sport scientists have often emphasized the players had a mean of 6.9±3.9 years of experience
or other proprietary information of the Publisher.

importance of the assessment of RSA in team sports.3 in soccer training and competition. They trained four
However, although several tests have been proposed to times a week (~90 to 120 minutes per session), with a
assess RSA in team sports,12, 13 no gold standard proto- competitive soccer match taking place at the end of the
col is currently available to test soccer players in field week. Each training session consisted mainly of techni-

Vol. 57 - No. 1-2 The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness 27
not permitted. It is not permitted to remove, cover, overlay, obscure, block, or change any copyright notices or terms of use which the Publisher may post on the Article. It is not permitted to frame or use framing techniques to enclose any trademark, log
means which may allow access to the Article. The use of all or any part of the Article for any Commercial Use is not permitted. The creation of derivative works from the Article is not permitted. The production of reprints for personal or commercial use i
This document is protected by international copyright laws. No additional reproduction is authorized. It is permitted for personal use to download and save only one file and print only one copy of this Article. It is not permitted to make additional copies
(either sporadically or systematically, either printed or electronic) of the Article for any purpose. It is not permitted to distribute the electronic copy of the article through online internet and/or intranet file sharing systems, electronic mailing or any other
©
COPYRIGHT 2017 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA
BALDI REPEATED SPRINT ABILITY IN MALE SOCCER PLAYERS

cal and tactical skill development (60% of the training until the knee angle around 90° was performed. Then,
time) and physical conditioning with an emphasis on they immediately jumped as high as possible. Accord-
anaerobic and aerobic performance development. All ing to Bosco,14 the CMJ test presents a High Reliabil-
players were free from current injuries limiting their ity Index of 0.94. However, each player was previously
ability to train and complete the experimental proce- trained until they had obtained the motor skills to per-
dures of the study. form the movement required for the protocol. All play-
Testing procedures were performed during the first ers performed three SJs and three CMJs interspersed
stage of the competitive season. Each player completed with 2 minutes of rest in between. Only the best jump
three sessions, scheduled on different days with at least of each vertical jumping protocol was used for the final
48 hours between sessions. On Day 1, they underwent data analysis.
screening, anthropometric measurements, and vertical The standing long jump (LJ) test was conducted in
jumping testing protocols on a force platform. A maxi- an indoor court, thus eliminating any potential negative
mal graded exercise test using the protocol suggested effect of environmental conditions. Each player was in-
by Fernandes Da Silva et al.5 was also performed. On structed to perform a long jump from a standing posi-
Day 2, players underwent a field, horizontal jumping tion. They were allowed to begin the jump with bent
testing protocol. Finally, On Day 3, an RSA test using knees and swing their arms to assist the movement. A
the protocol proposed by Rampinini 2 was performed line drawn on a hard surface served as the starting line,
on an outdoor grassed field. All players were familiar and the length of the jump was determined using a tape
with the testing procedures, having previously under- measure, which was fixed to the floor. A measure of LJ
taken the tests many times. Before starting the study, was defined as the nearest 1 cm, from the starting line to
they were instructed to refrain from heavy exercise and the point where the heel closest to the starting line land-
avoid alcoholic or caffeinated products in the 24 hours ed. All players performed three LJs interspersed with 2
preceding the tests and to present themselves at the ex- minutes of rest in between. Only the longest jump was
perimental settings in a 2-hour post-absorptive state. used for the final data analysis.
V̇ O2max was assessed using an incremental running
Testing procedures protocol5 on a motorized treadmill (Millennium Super
ATL, Imbramed, Porto Alegre, Brazil). The initial speed
All field and laboratory tests were preceded by a su- was set at 8.0 km/h (1% grade) with increments of 1.0
pervised and standardized warm-up consisting of 10 km/h every 3 minutes until the point of voluntary ex-
minutes of submaximal running and 5 minutes of ath- haustion. All players were verbally encouraged to un-
letic drills (e.g., skipping, high-knee runs), interspersed dertake a maximum effort. The criteria for achieving a
by 3 min of passive recovery. After the passive recov- V̇ O2max required participants to meet one of the follow-
ery, each player performed two jumping protocols using ing: 1) a plateau in V̇ O2 (change of <150 mL/min in
a portable piezoelectric force platform (model 9290AD, the last three consecutive 15-s averages), 2) a respira-
Kistler®, Winterthur, Switzerland). In the first proto- tory exchange ratio (RER) of >1.10, and 3) a heart rate
col, named as squat jump (SJ), they performed verti- within 10 bpm of the maximal level predicted by age.15
cal jumps from a fixed semi-squatted position with the Thus, V̇ O2max was defined as the highest O2 value at-
knees to 90°, the back as straight as possible, and hands tained after reaching the aforementioned criteria. The
held at the hips. They were strongly encouraged to vOBLA was defined as the intensity at a fixed blood
jump as high as possible without knee or trunk coun- lactate concentration of 3.5 mmol/L.16
termovement.14 In the second protocol, named as arm- Oxygen consumption (V̇ O2) was measured on a
aimed countermovement jump (CMJ), each player was breath-by-breath basis by a portable gas analysis system
instructed to perform vertical jumps by standing on the (K4b2, Cosmed, Rome, Italy). The system was calibrat-
or other proprietary information of the Publisher.

force platform mat with the plantar part of the foot con- ed using room air (21% O2, 0.03% CO2) and a certified
tacting the ground, with the hands held at the hips, and gas mixture (16% O2, 5% CO2; Scott Medical Products,
from an erect standing position on the force platform Plumsteadville, PA, USA) before each test. In addition,
with a knee angle of 180°, a countermovement down the turbine flowmeter was calibrated with a 3-L syringe

28 The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness January-February 2017

not permitted. It is not permitted to remove, cover, overlay, obscure, block, or change any copyright notices or terms of use which the Publisher may post on the Article. It is not permitted to frame or use framing techniques to enclose any trademark, log
means which may allow access to the Article. The use of all or any part of the Article for any Commercial Use is not permitted. The creation of derivative works from the Article is not permitted. The production of reprints for personal or commercial use i
This document is protected by international copyright laws. No additional reproduction is authorized. It is permitted for personal use to download and save only one file and print only one copy of this Article. It is not permitted to make additional copies
(either sporadically or systematically, either printed or electronic) of the Article for any purpose. It is not permitted to distribute the electronic copy of the article through online internet and/or intranet file sharing systems, electronic mailing or any other
©
COPYRIGHT 2017 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA
REPEATED SPRINT ABILITY IN MALE SOCCER PLAYERS BALDI

before each test. Blood samples (25 μL) were collected relations were used to determine the relationships of
from the earlobe at the end of each stage of the incre- performance parameters of RSA (BT, MT, and Sdec)
mental running protocol on a treadmill. The lactate was with neuromuscular (CMJ, SJ, and HJ) and physi-
measured on an electrochemical analyzer (YSI 2700 ological (V̇ O2max, vOBLA, vV̇ O2max, and peak [La])
STAT, Yellow Springs, OH, USA), which was calibrat- variables. The magnitude of the correlations was de-
ed as recommended by the manufacturer. termined using the modified scale by Hopkins:17 r<0.1,
To measure the ability to repeatedly produce maxi- trivial; 0.1-0.3, small; 0.3-0.5, moderate; 0.5-0.7, large;
mal or near-maximal sprints of short duration with brief 0.7-0.9, very large; >0.9, nearly perfect; and 1.0, per-
recovery periods, an RSA test consisting of six 40-m fect. Significance was assumed at 5% (P<0.05) a priori.
(20+20 m) shuttle sprints separated by 20 seconds of All statistical analyses were performed using the SPSS
passive recovery was conducted on a grass surface.2 v.18.0 for Windows (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA).
Each player was required to start from a line, sprint for
20 m, touch the line with a foot, and come back to the Results
starting line as fast as possible. After 20 seconds of pas-
sive recovery, they started again. All players were pre- The descriptive data of the participants are presented
viously instructed to produce maximal efforts for every in Table I.
sprint and to avoid pacing themselves. However, each The correlation coefficients between performance
player completed a preliminary single shuttle-sprint test parameters of RSA and physiological variables are pre-
5 minutes before the start of the RSA test. According sented in Table II. There were moderate but significant
to Rampinini et al.,2 this trial is used to obtain a cri- correlations of MT with vOBLA (r=-0.44, P<0.05) and
terion score for the subsequent six 40-m shuttle sprint Sdec with peak [La] (r=0.47, P<0.05). Notably, no other
test. If performance in the first sprint of an RSA test was significant correlations were found between the physi-
worse than the criterion score (i.e., an increase in time ological variables (V̇ O2max, vOBLA, vV̇ O2max, and peak
greater than 2.5%), the test was terminated immediately [La]) with the performance parameters of RSA (BT,
and the player was required to repeat the RSA test after MT, and Sdec) (Table II).
additional 5 min rest. Best sprint time (BT) in a 40-m The correlation coefficients between performance
single shuttle-sprint test, mean sprint time (MT) on the parameters of RSA and neuromuscular variables are
six 40-m shuttle sprint test, and sprint decrement (Sdec; presented in Table III. There were large and very large
i.e., a measure of the performance decline demonstrated
over the entire RSA test) were determined according to
Table I.—Descriptive data of the performance parameters of RSA,
Rampinini et al.2 Specifically, the Sdec was calculated as neuromuscular and physiological variables in male college soc-
MT/BT and expressed as a percentage. As previously cer players (N.=26).
noted by Newman et al.,9 a lower Sdec represents the Variables Mean SD
ability to consistently reproduce sprints over the entire Physiological variables
RSA test. Each sprint time was recorded using a pho- V̇ O2max (mL/kg/min) 55.4 6.3
tocell system (Speed Test model, Cefise, São Paulo, vOBLA (km/h) 11.5 1.2
Brazil). The same equipment was used to automatically vV̇ O2max (km/h) 15.2 1.1
Peak [La] (mmol/L) 17.6 2.6
control the rest period between each sprint. Blood sam- Neuromuscular variables
ples (25 μL) were collected from the earlobe to measure SJ (cm) 41.8 4.7
the peak blood lactate concentration (peak [La]) 1, 3, 5, CMJ (cm) 46.1 4.7
LJ (m) 2.24 0.18
7 and 10 min into the recovery. Performance parameters of RSA
MT (s) 7.50 0.21
BT (s) 7.13 0.24
Statistical analysis
or other proprietary information of the Publisher.

Sdec (%) 5.2 1.6

Descriptive data are reported as means ± standard V̇ O2max: maximal oxygen consumption; vV̇ O2max: maximal aerobic speed; vOB-
LA: velocity at onset of blood lactate accumulation; peak [La]: peak blood lactate
deviation (SD). Data normality was evaluated with the concentration; SJ: squat jump; CMJ: countermovement jump; LJ: standing long
jump; BT: best sprint time; MT: mean sprint time; Sdec: sprint decrement.
Shapiro-Wilk W test for normality. Pearson’s linear cor-

Vol. 57 - No. 1-2 The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness 29
not permitted. It is not permitted to remove, cover, overlay, obscure, block, or change any copyright notices or terms of use which the Publisher may post on the Article. It is not permitted to frame or use framing techniques to enclose any trademark, log
means which may allow access to the Article. The use of all or any part of the Article for any Commercial Use is not permitted. The creation of derivative works from the Article is not permitted. The production of reprints for personal or commercial use i
This document is protected by international copyright laws. No additional reproduction is authorized. It is permitted for personal use to download and save only one file and print only one copy of this Article. It is not permitted to make additional copies
(either sporadically or systematically, either printed or electronic) of the Article for any purpose. It is not permitted to distribute the electronic copy of the article through online internet and/or intranet file sharing systems, electronic mailing or any other
©
COPYRIGHT 2017 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA
BALDI REPEATED SPRINT ABILITY IN MALE SOCCER PLAYERS

Table II.—Correlation coefficients between the performance pa- As noted by many authors,5, 19-21 a higher aerobic fit-
rameters of RSA and physiological variables. ness might be positively associated with a better RSA
Physiological variables
Performance parameters of RSA performance in soccer players. Arguably, a higher aero-
BT MT Sdec bic fitness may contribute to a faster recovery across
V̇ O2max 0.09 -0.03 -0.25 multiple bouts of maximal or near maximal sprints of
vV̇ O2max -0.10 -0.22 -0.18 short duration through increased aerobic response, im-
vOBLA -0.23 -0.44* -0.27
Peak [La] -0.29 -0.07 0.47*
proved lactate removal, and enhanced phosphocreatine
V̇ O2max: maximal oxygen consumption; vV̇ O2max: maximal aerobic speed; vOB-
regeneration.6 In fact, a previous study by Aziz et al.19
LA: velocity at onset of blood lactate accumulation; peak [La]: peak blood lactate found a moderate but significant correlation between
concentration; BT: best sprint time; MT: mean sprint time; Sdec: sprint decrement.
*P<0.05. V̇ O2max and RSA performance (8×40 m, with 30 s of
recovery between sprints) in elite field hockey and soc-
cer players. However, using a different RSA test proto-
Table III.—Correlation coefficients between the performance pa- col (6×20 m, 20 s of recovery between sprints), those
rameters of RSA and neuromuscular variables.
authors have reported no relationship between V̇ O2max
Neuromuscular variables
Performance parameters of RSA and RSA performance.22 A number of factors, including
BT MT Sdec number and duration of sprint repetitions, and nature,
SJ -0.29 -0.37 -0.05 duration, and intensity of the recovery between sprints
CMJ -0.54 † -0.62 † 0.04 might have influenced the association between these
LJ -0.73 † -0.69 † 0.32
two variables by altering the contribution of the aero-
SJ: squat jump; CMJ: countermovement jump; LJ: standing long jump; BT: best
sprint time; MT: mean sprint time; Sdec: sprint decrement. bic metabolism. In addition, research has suggested that
† P<0.01.
the relationship between V̇ O2max and RSA performance
might be not as strong as previously thought.5 Indeed,
significant correlations of BT (r=-0.73, P<0.01) and as shown in Table II, no significant correlations were
̇ O2max and RSA.
MT (r=-0.69, P<0.01) with LJ. A large significant cor- found between V
relation was also found between BT (r=-0.54, P<0.01) It should be noted, however, that there was a mod-
and MT (r=-0.62, P<0.01) and CMJ. Notably, no other erate but significant association of RSA with another
significant correlations were found between the perfor- common indicator of aerobic fitness, that is, vOBLA
mance parameters of RSA (BT, MT, and Sdec) and SJ. (Table II). This is consistent with the results of previ-
ous research that have reported that vOBLA rather than
V̇ O2max is more predictive of RSA performance.5 It is
Discussion likely that vOBLA, but not V̇O2max and/or vV̇ O2max
To our knowledge, the present study was the first to may better reflect peripheral adaptations derived from
examine the relationship of RSA with both neuromus- aerobic training including an increased capillary den-
cular, measured by different jumping testing protocols, sity and an enhanced capacity to transport lactate and
and physiological factors, measured by variables such H+ ions,18 which are associated with an improved RSA
as V̇ O2max, vOBLA, and vV̇ O2max, within the same performance of field team sport players.3 However, it
group of soccer players. Consistent with the study hy- should be noted that vOBLA values of the study par-
potheses, it was confirmed that neuromuscular factors ticipants (11.5±1.2 km/h) were slower in comparison to
were more strongly correlated with RSA than physio- those found by Mcmillan et al.23 (13.6±0.3 km/h) and
logical factors. However, it can be noted that physiolog- Fernandes Da Silva et al.5 (13.5±1.2 km/h) in elite soc-
ical variables, such as vOBLA and peak [La], which are cer players. These contrasting results are more likely to
predictive of peripheral adaptations from aerobic train- be associated with differences in volume and intensity
ing,6, 18 were moderately correlated with RSA. Finally, of weekly training loads between elite and collegiate
or other proprietary information of the Publisher.

it was also found that measures of MP derived from LJ soccer players. These discrepancies, however, may also
tests were more closely associated with a better RSA be, at least in part, due to the differences in the deter-
performance than more traditional measures of MP us- mination of vOBLA, as Mcmillan et al.23 have used an
ing vertical jumping tests. intensity at a fixed blood lactate concentration of 4.0

30 The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness January-February 2017

not permitted. It is not permitted to remove, cover, overlay, obscure, block, or change any copyright notices or terms of use which the Publisher may post on the Article. It is not permitted to frame or use framing techniques to enclose any trademark, log
means which may allow access to the Article. The use of all or any part of the Article for any Commercial Use is not permitted. The creation of derivative works from the Article is not permitted. The production of reprints for personal or commercial use i
This document is protected by international copyright laws. No additional reproduction is authorized. It is permitted for personal use to download and save only one file and print only one copy of this Article. It is not permitted to make additional copies
(either sporadically or systematically, either printed or electronic) of the Article for any purpose. It is not permitted to distribute the electronic copy of the article through online internet and/or intranet file sharing systems, electronic mailing or any other
©
COPYRIGHT 2017 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA
REPEATED SPRINT ABILITY IN MALE SOCCER PLAYERS BALDI

mmol/L instead of 3.5 mmol/L used in the present study. performance parameters of RSA may partly result from
In addition to the association of vOBLA with MT, an inability to use stored elastic components during the
there was also a moderate but significant association of test. In the present study, it should also be noted that LJ,
post-exercise peak [La] with Sdec (r=0.47, Table II). A a measure of MP derived from a horizontal plane, was
recent study by Rampinini et al.24 using amateur and more strongly associated with RSA performance than
professional soccer players have similarly found that more traditional measures of MP, such as CMJ and SJ
Sdec during a high intensity, intermittent exercise (10×10 (Table II). This is not surprising since the most decisive
s at 18 km/h, 20 s of recovery between sprints) on tread- actions during a soccer match, including sprinting ac-
mill was correlated with selected indices of metabolic tions, are covered by explosive movements in the hori-
acidosis such as blood lactate and H+ ions concentra- zontal plane.11 Moreover, LJ tests allow the participants
tions. Taken together, these findings are in line with to more freely swing their arms and move their knees
studies suggesting that individuals who have the great- during the execution of the movement in comparison
est fall in performance over the entire RSA test have to CMJ and SJ tests, which may be crucial for a better
been reported to have the greatest glycolytic activity performance of explosive actions. However, the exact
and the greatest change in both blood lactate concentra- mechanism(s) responsible for the stronger association
tion and blood pH.25 As used in the present study, it is of LJ with the performance parameters of RSA in the
likely that the majority of the energy required to resyn- present study require further investigation.
thesize ATP for consistently repeating maximal or near
maximal sprints could have been provided by anaerobic Conclusions
glycolysis, as an elevated peak [La] (17.6±2.6 mmol/L)
was reported. Although the exact mechanism(s) respon- In summary, the present study showed that RSA per-
sible for the elevated peak [La] in the present study are formance was largely to very largely associated with the
unclear, this data seem to suggest that the RSA test pro- individual level of jump performance and to a smaller
tocol proposed by Rampinini et al.2 may be effective extent to aerobic fitness variables in male collegiate soc-
to induce to significant sprint performance decrements cer players. Given that, lower limbs’ explosive strength
and temporary fatigue state in soccer players. Informa- performance should be regarded as a relevant factor for
tion about this issue may be helpful for applied sport male soccer.
scientists and strength and conditioning professionals in
establishing soccer performance-oriented test batteries
to enhance fitness assessment and training prescription. References
As noted by Wisloff et al.10, neuromuscular factors,   1. Wragg CB, Maxwell NS, Doust JH. Evaluation of the reliability and
primarily related to MP, are believed to be crucial for validity of a soccer-specific field test of repeated sprint ability. Eur J
Appl Physiol 2000;83:77-83.
relevant activities during a soccer match. Because most  2. Rampinini E, Bishop D, Marcora SM, Bravo DF, Sassi R, Impel-
of these soccer match-related activities replicate typical lizzeri FM. Validity of simple field test as indicators of match-related
movement patterns of multiple-bouts tests, it was spec- physical performance in top-level professional soccer players. Int J
Sports Med 2007;28:228-35.
ulated that RSA would be associated with commonly   3. Girard O, Mendez-Villanueva A, Bishop D. Repeated-sprint ability
used measures of MP, such as SJ, CMJ, and/or LJ. In- – Part I Factors contributing to fatigue. Sports Med 2011;41:673-
94.
deed, there were large correlations of CMJ and LJ, but   4. Spencer M, Bishop D, Dawson B, Goodman C. Physiological and
not SJ, with BT (r=-0.54 and -0.73) and MT (r=-0.62 and metabolic responses of repeated-sprint activities: specific to field-
based team sports. Sports Med 2005;35:1025-44.
-0.69), respectively (Table II). The results of the present   5. Fernandes Da Silva JF, Guglielmo LGA, Bishop D. Relationship be-
study revealed that both CMJ and LJ performances are tween different measures of aerobic fitness and repeated-sprint ability
in elite soccer players. J Strength Cond Res 2010;24:2115-21.
related to both single- and multiple-sprint running per-   6. Thomas C, Sirvent P, Perrey S, Raynaud E, Mercier J. Relationships
formance in soccer players. Arguably, a better CMJ or between maximal muscle oxidative capacity and blood lactate remov-
or other proprietary information of the Publisher.

al after supramaximal exercise and fatigue indexes in humans. J Appl

LJ performance may reflect a player’s improved abil- Physiol 2004;97:2132-8.
ity to utilize the stored elastic energy during the perfor-   7. Brown PI, Hughes MG, Tong RJ. Relationship between V̇ O2max and
repeated sprint ability using non-motorised treadmill ergometry. J
mance of stretch-shortening cycle movements.14 There- Sports Med Phys Fitness 2007;47:186-90.
fore, it is likely that the poor association of SJ with the   8. Meckel Y, Machnai O, Eliakim A. Relationship among repeated

Vol. 57 - No. 1-2 The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness 31
not permitted. It is not permitted to remove, cover, overlay, obscure, block, or change any copyright notices or terms of use which the Publisher may post on the Article. It is not permitted to frame or use framing techniques to enclose any trademark, log
means which may allow access to the Article. The use of all or any part of the Article for any Commercial Use is not permitted. The creation of derivative works from the Article is not permitted. The production of reprints for personal or commercial use i
This document is protected by international copyright laws. No additional reproduction is authorized. It is permitted for personal use to download and save only one file and print only one copy of this Article. It is not permitted to make additional copies
(either sporadically or systematically, either printed or electronic) of the Article for any purpose. It is not permitted to distribute the electronic copy of the article through online internet and/or intranet file sharing systems, electronic mailing or any other
©
COPYRIGHT 2017 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA
BALDI REPEATED SPRINT ABILITY IN MALE SOCCER PLAYERS

sprint tests, aerobic fitness and anaerobic fitness in elite adolescent statistics for studies in sports medicine and exercise science. Med Sci
soccer players. J Strength Cond Res 2009;23:163-9. Sports Exerc 2009;41:3-13.
  9. Newman MA, Tarpenning KM, Marino FE. Relationships between 18. Billat VL, Sirvent P, Py G, Koralsztein JP, Mercier J. The concept of
isokinetic knee strength, single-sprint performance, and repeated- maximal lactate steady state. Sports Med 2003;33:406-26.
sprint ability in football players. J Strength Cond Res 2004;18:867- 19. Aziz AR, Mukherjee S, Chia M, Teh KC. Relationship between meas-
72. ured maximal oxygen uptake and aerobic endurance performance
10. Wisloff U, Helgerud J, Hoff J. Strength and endurance of elite soccer with running repeated sprint ability in young elite soccer players. J
player. Med Sci Sports Exerc 1998;30:462-7. Sports Med Phys Fitness 2007;7:401-7.
11. Faude O, Koch T, Meyer T. Straight sprinting is the most frequent 20. Bishop D, Edge J, Goodman C. Muscle buffer capacity and aerobic
action in goal situations in professional football. J Sports Sci fitness are associated with repeated-sprint ability in women. Eur J
2012;30:625-31. Appl Physiol 2004;92:540-7.
12. Baker J, Ramsbottom R, Hazeldine R. Maximal shuttle running 21. Tomlin DL, Wenger HA. The relationship between aerobic fitness
over 40m as a measure of anaerobic performance. Br J Sports Med and recovery from high intensity intermittent exercise. Sports Med
1993;27:228-32. 2001:31:1-11.
13. Bangsbo J. Fitness training in football: a scientific approach. Baegs- 22. Aziz AR, Chia M, Teh KC. The relationship between maximal oxy-
vard: H+O Storm; 1994. gen uptake and repeated sprint performance indices in field hockey
14. Bosco C. Strength assessment with the Bosco’s test. Rome: Italian and soccer players J Sports Med Phys Fitness 2000;40:195-200.
Society of Sport Science; 1999. 23. Mcmillan K, Helgerud J, Grant SJ, Newell J, Wilson J, Macdonald R,
15. Lacour JR, Padilla-Magunacelaya S, Chatard JC, Arsac L, Bathelemy et al. Lactate threshold responses to a season of professional British
JC. Assessment of running velocity at maximal oxygen uptake. Eur J youth soccer. Br J Sports Med 2005;39:432-6.
Appl Physiol 1991:62:77-82. 24. Rampinini E, Sassi A, Morelli A, Mazzoni S, Fanchini M, Coutts AJ.
16. Heck H, Mader A, Hess G, Mucke S, Muller R, Holmann W. Justifi- Repeated-sprint ability in professional and amateur soccer players.
cation of the 4mmol/l lactate threshold. Int J Sports Med 1985:6:117- Appl Physiol Nutr Metabol 2009;34:1048-54.
30. 25. Bishop D, Girard O, Mendez-Villanueva A. Repeated-sprint ability -
17. Hopkins WG, Marshall SW, Batterham AM, Hanin J. Progressive part II: recommendations for training. Sports Med 2011;41:741-56.

Conflicts of interest.—The authors certify that there is no conflict of interest with any financial organization regarding the material discussed in the manuscript.
Article first published online: March 3, 2016. - Manuscript accepted: February 22, 2016. - Manuscript revised: February 10, 2016. - Manuscript received:
April 19, 2015.
or other proprietary information of the Publisher.

32 The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness January-February 2017

View publication stats