Quantifying Sub-Elite Youth Football Weekly Training Load and Recovery Variation

Monitoring the training load in football is an important strategy to improve athletic performance and an effective training periodization. The aim of this study was two-fold: (1) to quantify the weekly training load and recovery status variations performed by under-15, under-17 and under-19 sub-elite young football players; and (2) to analyze the influence of age, training day, weekly microcycle, training and playing position on the training load and recovery status. Twenty under-15, twenty under-17 and twenty under-19 players were monitored over a 2-week period during the first month of the 2019–2020 competitive season. Global positioning system technology (GPS) was used to collect external training loads: total distance covered, average speed, maximal running speed, relative high-speed running distance, high metabolic load distance, sprinting distance, dynamic stress load, accelerations and decelerations. Internal training load was monitored using ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) and session rating of perceived exertion (sRPE). Recovery status was obtained using the total quality recovery (TQR) scale. The results show an age-related influence for external training load (p ≤ 0.001; d = 0.29–0.86; moderate to strong effect), internal training load (p ≤ 0.001, d = 0.12–0.69; minimum to strong effect) and recovery status (p ≤ 0.001, d = 0.59; strong effect). The external training load presented differences between training days (p < 0.05, d = 0.26–0.95; moderate to strong effect). The playing position had a minimum effect on the weekly training load (p < 0.05; d = 0.06–0.18). The weekly microcycle had a moderate effect in the TD (p < 0.05, d = 0.39), RPE (p < 0.05; d = 0.35) and sRPE (p < 0.05, d = 0.35). Interaction effects were found between the four factors analyzed for deceleration (F = 2.819, p = 0.017) and between inter-day, inter-week and age for total covered distance (F = 8.342, p = 0.008). This study provided specific insights about sub-elite youth football training load and recovery status to monitor training environments and load variations. Future research should include a longer monitoring period to assess training load and recovery variations across different season phases.

[1]  Grant Abt,et al.  Methods of monitoring the training and match load and their relationship to changes in fitness in professional youth soccer players , 2012, Journal of sports sciences.

[2]  P. Nikolaidis,et al.  Validity and Reliability of 10-Hz Global Positioning System to Assess In-line Movement and Change of Direction , 2018, Front. Physiol..

[3]  Michael I Lambert,et al.  Quantifying training load: a comparison of subjective and objective methods. , 2008, International journal of sports physiology and performance.

[4]  Jaime Sampaio,et al.  Typical weekly workload of under 15, under 17, and under 19 elite Portuguese football players , 2015, Journal of sports sciences.

[5]  R. Malina,et al.  Height, mass and skeletal maturity of elite Portuguese soccer players aged 11–16 years , 2000, Journal of sports sciences.

[6]  C. Foster,et al.  A New Approach to Monitoring Exercise Training , 2001, Journal of strength and conditioning research.

[7]  Adam Owen,et al.  Analysis of a training mesocycle and positional quantification in elite European soccer players , 2017 .

[8]  E. Rampinini,et al.  Physiological assessment of aerobic training in soccer , 2005, Journal of sports sciences.

[9]  T. Hazır,et al.  Metabolic demands of match performance in young soccer players. , 2012, Journal of sports science & medicine.

[10]  A. Coutts,et al.  Changes in perceived stress and recovery in overreached young elite soccer players , 2012, Scandinavian journal of medicine & science in sports.

[11]  Stephen Atkins,et al.  Accelerometer derived load according to playing position in competitive youth soccer , 2014 .

[12]  A. Rebelo,et al.  Anthropometric Characteristics, Physical Fitness and Technical Performance of Under-19 Soccer Players by Competitive Level and Field Position , 2012, International Journal of Sports Medicine.

[13]  S. Pettersen,et al.  Activity Profiles by Position in Youth Elite Soccer Players in Official Matches , 2019, Sports Medicine International Open.

[14]  Michael J Duncan,et al.  Match play demands of 11 versus 11 professional football using Global Positioning System tracking: Variations across common playing formations. , 2016, Human movement science.

[15]  J. Sampaio,et al.  Effects of Knowing the Task’s Duration on Soccer Players’ Positioning and Pacing Behaviour during Small-Sided Games , 2020, International journal of environmental research and public health.

[16]  Matthew Newton,et al.  A contemporary multi-modal mechanical approach to training monitoring in elite professional soccer , 2017 .

[17]  Vladimir B Issurin,et al.  New Horizons for the Methodology and Physiology of Training Periodization , 2010, Sports medicine.

[18]  J. Garganta,et al.  Effects of pitch surface and playing position on external load activity profiles and technical demands of young soccer players in match play , 2017 .

[19]  Michael Ian Lambert,et al.  The Quantification of Training Load, the Training Response and the Effect on Performance , 2009, Sports medicine.

[20]  M. Buchheit,et al.  Effects of age, maturity and body dimensions on match running performance in highly trained under-15 soccer players , 2014, Journal of sports sciences.

[21]  M. Andrzejewski,et al.  Relationship Between the Session-RPE and External Measures of Training Load in Youth Soccer Training. , 2020, Journal of strength and conditioning research.

[22]  J. Helgerud,et al.  Physiological adaptations to soccer specific endurance training in professional youth soccer players , 2005, British Journal of Sports Medicine.

[23]  Aaron J Coutts,et al.  A comparison of methods used for quantifying internal training load in women soccer players. , 2008, International journal of sports physiology and performance.

[24]  R. Ramírez-Campillo,et al.  Assessment of the external load of amateur soccer players during four consecutive training microcycles in relation to the external load during the official match , 2019, Motriz: Revista de Educação Física.

[25]  Chris Visscher,et al.  Monitoring stress and recovery: new insights for the prevention of injuries and illnesses in elite youth soccer players , 2010, British Journal of Sports Medicine.

[26]  V. Di Salvo,et al.  Effects of tapering on physical match activities in professional soccer players , 2016, Journal of sports sciences.

[27]  Franco M Impellizzeri,et al.  Use of RPE-based training load in soccer. , 2004, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[28]  Robert G Lockie,et al.  A comparison of methods to quantify the in-season training load of professional soccer players. , 2013, International journal of sports physiology and performance.

[29]  Aaron J Coutts,et al.  Variability of GPS units for measuring distance in team sport movements. , 2010, International journal of sports physiology and performance.

[30]  A. M. Monteiro,et al.  Monitoring Accumulated Training and Match Load in Football: A Systematic Review , 2021, International journal of environmental research and public health.

[31]  Barry Drust,et al.  Quantification of the physiological loading of one week of “pre-season” and one week of “in-season” training in professional soccer players , 2011, Journal of sports sciences.

[32]  C. Sunderland,et al.  The effect of playing status, maturity status, and playing position on the development of match skills in elite youth football players aged 11–18 years: A mixed-longitudinal study , 2018, European journal of sport science.

[33]  Jaime Sampaio,et al.  Effect of player position on movement behaviour, physical and physiological performances during an 11-a-side football game , 2014, Journal of sports sciences.

[34]  S. Atkins,et al.  A Comparison of GPS Workload Demands in Match Play and Small-Sided Games by the Positional Role in Youth Soccer , 2017, Journal of human kinetics.

[35]  Keith Davids,et al.  Age-related effects of practice experience on collective behaviours of football players in small-sided games. , 2016, Human movement science.

[36]  Martin Buchheit,et al.  Monitoring accelerations with GPS in football: time to slow down? , 2014, International journal of sports physiology and performance.

[37]  Martin Buchheit,et al.  Match Play Intensity Distribution in Youth Soccer , 2012, International Journal of Sports Medicine.

[38]  George P Nassis,et al.  Training Load and Player Monitoring in High-Level Football: Current Practice and Perceptions. , 2016, International journal of sports physiology and performance.

[39]  Kevin Till,et al.  The Use of Microtechnology to Quantify the Peak Match Demands of the Football Codes: A Systematic Review , 2018, Sports Medicine.

[40]  The influence of playing position in soccer on the recovery kinetics of cognitive and physical performance. , 2019, The Journal of sports medicine and physical fitness.

[41]  Barry Drust,et al.  Seasonal training-load quantification in elite English premier league soccer players. , 2015, International journal of sports physiology and performance.

[42]  Esa Peltola,et al.  Application of four different football match analysis systems: A comparative study , 2010, Journal of sports sciences.

[43]  J. Sampaio,et al.  Influence of well-being variables and recovery state in physical enjoyment of professional soccer players during small-sided games , 2018, Research in sports medicine.

[44]  J. Pino-Ortega,et al.  Accelerometry as a method for external workload monitoring in invasion team sports. A systematic review , 2020, PloS one.

[45]  A. Coutts,et al.  Monitoring Athlete Training Loads: Consensus Statement. , 2017, International journal of sports physiology and performance.

[46]  B. Drust,et al.  Quantification of the typical weekly in-season training load in elite junior soccer players , 2012, Journal of sports sciences.

[47]  G. Atkinson,et al.  The within-participant correlation between perception of effort and heart rate-based estimations of training load in elite soccer players , 2016, Journal of sports sciences.

[48]  A. Mendez-villanueva,et al.  In-season training periodization of professional soccer players , 2017, Biology of sport.

[49]  Kevin G Thompson,et al.  Diminutions of acceleration and deceleration output during professional football match play. , 2013, Journal of science and medicine in sport.

[50]  C. Foster,et al.  Monitoring training in athletes with reference to overtraining syndrome. , 1998, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[51]  S. Marshall,et al.  Progressive statistics for studies in sports medicine and exercise science. , 2009, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[52]  L. Ransdell,et al.  Use of Integrated Technology in Team Sports: A Review of Opportunities, Challenges, and Future Directions for Athletes , 2014, Journal of strength and conditioning research.

[53]  Filipe Manuel Clemente,et al.  Characterization of the Weekly External Load Profile of Professional Soccer Teams from Portugal and the Netherlands , 2019, Journal of human kinetics.

[54]  Karim Chamari,et al.  Session-RPE Method for Training Load Monitoring: Validity, Ecological Usefulness, and Influencing Factors , 2017, Front. Neurosci..

[55]  Franco M Impellizzeri,et al.  Test validation in sport physiology: lessons learned from clinimetrics. , 2009, International journal of sports physiology and performance.

[56]  P Hassmén,et al.  Overtraining and Recovery , 1998, Sports medicine.

[57]  Monitoring Load, Recovery, and Performance in Young Elite Soccer Players , 2010, Journal of strength and conditioning research.

[58]  Franco M Impellizzeri,et al.  Internal and External Training Load: 15 Years On. , 2019, International journal of sports physiology and performance.

[59]  Filipe Manuel Clemente,et al.  Quantifying the physical loading of five weeks of pre-season training in professional soccer teams from Dutch and Portuguese leagues , 2019, Physiology & Behavior.

[60]  Carlo Castagna,et al.  Relationship Between Indicators of Training Load in Soccer Players , 2013, Journal of strength and conditioning research.

[61]  Antonio Dello Iacono,et al.  The Validity and Between-Unit Variability of GNSS Units (STATSports Apex 10 and 18 Hz) for Measuring Distance and Peak Speed in Team Sports , 2018, Front. Physiol..

[62]  Variation in the Correlation Between Heart Rate and Session Rating of Perceived Exertion-Based Estimations of Internal Training Load in Youth Soccer Players. , 2019, Pediatric exercise science.

[63]  J. Sampaio,et al.  Time-motion and physiological profile of football training sessions performed by under-15, under-17 and under-19 elite Portuguese players. , 2014, International journal of sports physiology and performance.

[64]  Carlo Castagna,et al.  Profile of Weekly Training Load in Elite Male Professional Basketball Players , 2010, Journal of strength and conditioning research.

[65]  C. Ferguson An effect size primer: A guide for clinicians and researchers. , 2009 .

[66]  Shozo Suzuki,et al.  PROGRAM DESIGN BASED ON A MATHEMATICAL MODEL USING RATING OF PERCEIVED EXERTION FOR AN ELITE JAPANESE SPRINTER: ACASE STUDY , 2006, Journal of strength and conditioning research.

[67]  M. Buchheit,et al.  Neuromuscular Responses to Conditioned Soccer Sessions Assessed via GPS-Embedded Accelerometers: Insights Into Tactical Periodization. , 2017, International journal of sports physiology and performance.

[68]  Richard Akenhead,et al.  Examining the External Training Load of an English Premier League Football Team With Special Reference to Acceleration , 2016, Journal of strength and conditioning research.

[69]  M. Buchheit Monitoring training status with HR measures: do all roads lead to Rome? , 2014, Front. Physiol..

[70]  Jaime Sampaio,et al.  Effects of the pitch configuration design on players’ physical performance and movement behaviour during soccer small-sided games , 2018, Research in sports medicine.

[71]  Daniel A Marinho,et al.  Assessment of passive drag in swimming by numerical simulation and analytical procedure , 2018, Journal of sports sciences.

[72]  Andrew E Kilding,et al.  A Comparison of Post-Match Recovery Strategies in Youth Soccer Players , 2009, Journal of strength and conditioning research.

[73]  J. Castellano,et al.  Selecting Training-Load Measures to Explain Variability in Football Training Games , 2020, Frontiers in Psychology.

[74]  Alexandre Martins,et al.  In-season internal and external training load quantification of an elite European soccer team , 2018, bioRxiv.

[75]  Joao Brito,et al.  Do Match-Related Contextual Variables Influence Training Load in Highly Trained Soccer Players? , 2016, Journal of strength and conditioning research.