Locomotor and technical characteristics of female soccer players training: exploration of differences between competition standards.

Objectives: To (i) quantify the differences in locomotor and technical characteristics between different drill categories in female soccer and (ii) explore the training drill distributions between different standards of competition.

Methods: Technical (ball touches, ball releases, high-speed ball releases) and locomotor data (total distance, high-speed running distance [>5.29 m∙s]) were collected using foot-mounted inertial measurement units from 458 female soccer players from three Women's Super League (WSL; n = 76 players), eight Women's Championship (WC; n = 217) and eight WSL Academy (WSLA; n = 165) teams over a 28-week period. Data were analysed using general linear mixed effects.

Results: Across all standards, the largest proportion of time was spent in technical (TEC) (WSL = 38%, WC = 28%, WSLA = 29%) and small-sided extensive games (SSGe) (WSL = 20%, WC = 31%, WSLA = 30%) drills. WSL completed more TEC and tactical (TAC) training whilst WC and WSLA players completed more SSGe and possession (POS) drills. Technical drills elicited the highest number of touches, releases and the highest total distance and high-speed activity. Position-specific drills elicited the lowest number of touches and releases and the lowest total distance. When the technical and locomotor demand of each drill were made relative to time, there were limited differences between drills, suggesting drill duration was the main moderating factor.

Conclusion: Findings provide novel understanding of the technical and locomotor demands of different drill categories in female soccer. These results can be used by coaches and practitioners to inform training session design.