The influence of muscle strength and aerobic fitness on functional recovery in elite female soccer players.

Background: We examined the influence of muscle strength and aerobic fitness on wellbeing and muscle function recovery in female soccer players.

Methods: Sixteen players from the English Women's Super League (age: 26±4 yrs; height, 1.70±0.

Menstrual Cycle and Situational Match Variables: Effects on Well-Being in Professional Female Soccer Players.

We examined whether the situational match factors (location, result, and opposition quality), as well as playing position and menstrual cycle phase, influenced self-reported well-being in female soccer players. Twenty-two professional players (25 ± 5 years) from a squad in the Women's Super League in England self-reported their menstrual cycle phase via an online survey, and their soreness, sleep, stress, mood, and fatigue on a 1 (positive) to 5 (negative) scale on the morning of match day (MD) and for the next 3 days (referred to as MD + 1, MD + 2, MD + 3, respectively). Data was collected for 26 matches across the 2021-2022 season.

Does a self-reported sleep duration reflect actigraphy reported sleep duration in female football players?

Sleep is often compromised in female athletes, and the monitoring of female athletes' sleep is an important preventative and educational tool. With self-reporting of sleep common practice for athletes as part of a daily wellness assessment, there is a need to understand whether sleep indices are being reported accurately, and thus whether self-report data are useful. This study aimed to compare the agreement between self-reported and actigraphy reported sleep duration in female football players, with the intention of informing best practice for athlete monitoring.

The Relationship Between Subjective Wellness and External Training Load in Elite English Premier League Goalkeepers and a Comparison With Outfield Soccer Players.

Purpose: To investigate the relationship between training load and subjective wellness in English Premier League goalkeepers (GKs) and examine potential positional differences in subjective wellness.

Methods: A total of 34 players (GK = 7, outfield = 27) completed a daily subjective wellness questionnaire assessing sleep quality, sleep hours, fatigue, mood, soreness, and total wellness over two and a half seasons. Ten-Hertz GPS devices were worn during training to calculate previous-day and 7-day total distance, player load, total dives, total dive load, average time to feet, and high, medium, and low jumps.

The effects of injury, contextual match factors and training load upon psychological wellbeing in English Premier League soccer players via season-long tracking.

The study aimed to track psychological wellbeing (PWB) across two consecutive soccer seasons examining the effects of injury, illness, training load (TL) and contextual match factors (playing status, match selection and individual win rate). Furthermore, examine PWB prior to injury or illness event. Thirty-two English Premier League (EPL) soccer players completed the "Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale" every two weeks.

Bilateral vs. Unilateral Countermovement Jumps: Comparing the Magnitude and Direction of Asymmetry in Elite Academy Soccer Players.

Bishop, C, Abbott, W, Brashill, C, Turner, A, Lake, J, and Read, P. Bilateral vs. unilateral countermovement jumps: comparing the magnitude and direction of asymmetry in elite academy soccer players.

Effect of Playing Status and Fixture Congestion on Training Load, Mental Fatigue, and Recovery Status in Premier League Academy Goalkeepers.

Abbott, W, Thomas, C, and Clifford, T. Effect of playing status and fixture congestion on training load, mental fatigue, and recovery status in Premier League academy goalkeepers. J Strength Cond Res 37(2): 375-382, 2023-Soccer goalkeepers are a unique playing position and require specific programming.

Seasonal Variation of Physical Performance, Bilateral Deficit, and Interlimb Asymmetry in Elite Academy Soccer Players: Which Metrics Are Sensitive to Change?

Bishop, C, Abbott, W, Brashill, C, Loturco, I, Beato, M, and Turner, A. Seasonal variation of physical performance, bilateral deficit, and interlimb asymmetry in elite academy soccer players: Which metrics are sensitive to change? J Strength Cond Res 37(2): 358-365, 2023-This study aimed to report seasonal variations for (a) physical performance, (b) interlimb asymmetry, and (c) bilateral deficit (BLD) data over the course of a competitive soccer season and determine which metrics are sensitive to change. This study used a repeated-measures observational design for 19 under-20, elite, academy, soccer players (age: 17.

The influence of muscle strength and aerobic fitness on functional recovery in professional soccer players.

Background: Well-developed physical qualities may protect athletes from exercise-induced muscle damage and accelerate recovery following exercise. This study examined the influence of muscle strength and aerobic fitness on recovery from competitive soccer matches.

Methods: Fourteen players from the English Premier League 2 (age 18±1 years; height 1.

Physical activity on mental wellbeing in senior English Premier League soccer players during the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown created new stressors that could potentially attenuate mental wellbeing (MW) in athletes, who are already susceptible to poor MW. This study aims to describe fluctuations to MW during "lockdown" and subsequent "return to sport" protocols, in comparison to the normal "in-season" in professional soccer. Twenty-five English Premier League (EPL) soccer players completed the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (WEMWBS) every two weeks, during the 2019/2020 season, and every week during "lockdown" and "return to training" for 28 weeks.

The prevalence of disordered eating in elite male and female soccer players.

Purpose: To examine the prevalence of disordered eating (DE) in elite male and female soccer players and the influence of perfectionism.

Methods: Using a cross-sectional design, elite male (n = 137) and female (n = 70) soccer players and non-athlete controls (n = 179) completed the clinical perfectionism questionnaire (CPQ-12) and the eating attitudes test (EAT-26) to assess perfectionism and DE risk, respectively.

Results: Male soccer players had higher EAT-26 scores than controls (10.

Effects of Bio-Banding upon Physical and Technical Performance during Soccer Competition: A Preliminary Analysis.

Bio-banded competition has been introduced to address the variation in physical maturity within soccer. To date, no research has investigated the effect of bio-banded competition relative to chronological competition. The current study investigated the effect of bio-banding upon physical and technical performance in elite youth soccer athletes.

Tart Cherry Juice: No Effect on Muscle Function Loss or Muscle Soreness in Professional Soccer Players After a Match.

Purpose: To investigate the effects of tart cherry juice (TCJ) on recovery from a soccer match in professional players.

Methods: In a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover design, 10 male professional soccer players from the reserve team of an English Premier League Club (age 19 [1] y, height 1.8 [0.

A season long investigation into the effects of injury, match selection and training load on mental wellbeing in professional under 23 soccer players: A team case study.

This study examined the influence of injury, match selection and training load on mental wellbeing (MW) in a squad of professional soccer players. Using a longitudinal design, twenty-five male soccer players (age, 20 ± 1 years, height, 1.80 ± 5.

Jumping Asymmetries Are Associated With Speed, Change of Direction Speed, and Jump Performance in Elite Academy Soccer Players.

Bishop, C, Brashill, C, Abbott, W, Read, P, Lake, J, and Turner, A. Jumping asymmetries are associated with speed, change of direction speed, and jump performance in elite academy soccer players. J Strength Cond Res 35(7): 1841-1847, 2021-The aim of this study was to establish interlimb asymmetries across different age groups in elite academy male soccer players and to examine any relationships between asymmetry and measures of physical performance.

Positional Differences in GPS Outputs and Perceived Exertion During Soccer Training Games and Competition.

Abbott, W, Brickley, G, and Smeeton, NJ. Positional differences in GPS outputs and perceived exertion during soccer training games and competition. J Strength Cond Res 32(11): 3222-3231, 2018-Soccer training games are popular training modalities, allowing technical, tactical, and physical aspects to be trained simultaneously.

Individualizing Acceleration in English Premier League Academy Soccer Players.

Abbott, W, Brickley, G, Smeeton, NJ, and Mills, S. Individualizing acceleration in English Premier League academy soccer players. J Strength Cond Res 32(12): 3512-3519, 2018-Global thresholds are typically used to band acceleration dependent on intensity.

Countermovement Jump Recovery in Professional Soccer Players Using an Inertial Sensor.

Purpose: To assess the utility of an inertial sensor for assessing recovery in professional soccer players.

Methods: In a randomized, crossover design, 11 professional soccer players wore shorts fitted with phase change material (PCM) cooling packs or uncooled packs (control) for 3 h after a 90-min match. Countermovement jump (CMJ) performance was assessed simultaneously with an inertial sensor and an optoelectric system: prematch and 12, 36, and 60 h postmatch.

The independent effects of match location, match result and the quality of opposition on subjective wellbeing in under 23 soccer players: a case study.

This study examined if subjective wellbeing in soccer players was affected by match location, match result and opposition quality before a match (PRE), 1 day after (POST-1), and 3 days after a match (POST-3). Eleven professional male soccer players from the under 23 squad playing in the Premier League 2 division completed a wellbeing questionnaire before and after 17 matches. Match training load (session-rating perceived exertion) was not different, regardless of the location, result, or quality of opposition faced (P > 0.

Cryotherapy Reinvented: Application of Phase Change Material for Recovery in Elite Soccer.

Purpose: To examine whether donning lower-body garments fitted with cooled phase change material (PCM) would enhance recovery after a soccer match.

Methods: In a randomized, crossover design, 11 elite soccer players from the reserve squad of a team in the second-highest league in England wore PCM cooled to 15°C (PCM) or left at ambient temperature (PCM; sham control) for 3 h after a soccer match. To assess recovery, countermovement jump height, maximal isometric voluntary contraction (MIVC), muscle soreness, and the adapted Brief Assessment of Mood Questionnaire (BAM+) were measured before 12, 36, and 60 h after each match.