No abstract

Although many studies have been focused on soccer athletes, no comprehensive studies have been conducted on adolescent soccer athletes in the United States. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to quantify the physiological and sport-specific skill characteristics of Olympic Developmental Program (ODP) soccer athletes by age group and game experience. Following written, informed consent, 59 male athletes (age = 14.6 +/- 2.0 years; wt = 60.5 +/- 1.4 kg; ht = 172.4 +/- 1.2 cm) completed a battery of tests to determine aerobic power (VO(2)max), heart rate (HR(max)), ventilation (VE(max)), respiratory exchange ratio (RER), anaerobic threshold (AT), blood pressure (BP(rest/max)), anaerobic power/capacity [peak power (PP), mean power (MP), total work output (TWO), fatigue index (FI)], leg power [vertical squat jump (VJS), countermovement jump (VJC)], body composition [percent body fat (%BF), lean body mass (LBM)], joint range of motion (trunk, back, hip, knee, and ankle), and agility/sport-specific skills (T-test, line drill test, juggling test, Johnson wall volley, and modified-Zelenka circuit). Factor analyses with subsequent multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVAs) indicated significant main effects across age (p = 0.0001) but not by game experience (p = 0.82). Older athletes exhibited greater height, weight, LBM, VE(max), Time(max), PP, TWO, and VSJ values than younger athletes. Although not significant, there were differences with increasing age in the agility tests (T-test, wall volley, and juggling test). In conclusion, improvements in anaerobic power, agility, and sport-specific skill should be addressed at this developmental level of competition.

Although many studies have examined the physiological profile of soccer athletes, no comprehensive studies have been conducted on developmental soccer athletes in the United States. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to quantify physiological and sport-specific skill characteristics of Olympic Developmental soccer athletes by age group and region. Following written informed consent, 59 male athletes (age=14.6±2 yrs; wt=60.5±1.4 kg; ht=172.4±1.2 cm) completed a battery of tests to determine oxygen consumption (VO2max), heart rate (HRmax), ventilation (VEmax)1 respiratory exchange ratio (Rmax)1 anaerobic threshold (AT), and blood pressure (BPrestzmax) during a Bruce graded exercise test (GXT). Anaerobic power [peak power (PR), mean power (MP)1 total work output (TWO)] was achieved using a Wingate test. Leg power (vertical squat and countermovement jumps), percent body fat, and flexibilities (trunk, spine, hip, knee, and ankle) were assessed. Agility and sport-specific skill were determined using accepted sport-specific protocols (T-test, line drill test, juggling test, Johnson wall volley, and modified-Zelenka circuit). Factor analyses with subsequent MANOVAs indicated significant (p<.05) main effects across age only. When compared to values reported for athletes of similar age and activity, these athletes were similar in aerobic power and anaerobic power/capacity, lower in leg power, and similar in agility and flexibility. Overall, this study has shown that although these athletes were similar in aerobic performance, improvements in anaerobic power, agility, and sport skill should be addressed. It is hoped that these results may serve as a point of reference for high school and club soccer coaches, as well as for further studies conducted with athletes of this age group and