Investigation of Some Performance Parameters of Professional Football Players According to Game Regions

Abstract

Background and Study Aim: The aim of this study is to evaluate the Anaerobic Speed Reserve (ASR), Maximal Sprint Speed (MSS) and Maximal Aerobic Running Speed (MAS) parameters in terms of the players' playing positions on the field. Material and Methods: In this study, a total of 89 players consisting of 20 stoppers, 15 backs, 25 centre midfielders, 17 wingers and 12 strikers from 4 different 3rd league teams in Turkey with the average height of 1.82±7.20 cm and the average body weight of 75±5.20 participated as volunteers. Players were applied 10-30 meters speed test and Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Level 1 Test. Results In the MSH parameter, a statistically significant difference was found between the players playing in the stopper area (28.42±2.08) and the players playing in the wing area (30.40±1.94) (p <0.05). However, there was no statistically significant difference between the game positions in ASR parameter (p> 0.05). While a very high positive significant correlation was detected between MSS and ASR (r = 0.95, p < 0.001), a moderate but negative significant correlation was found between MAS and ASR (r = -0.59, p < 0.001). The findings revealed that wingers stand out in terms of MSS while centre midfielders are ahead of the other regions in terms of MAS. Conclusions: Regarding these findings, sports science experts and especially trainers should consider these differences when programming their training. In addition, the present study has indicated that further research is required to better understand the ASR parameter in football. Keywords: anaerobic speed reserve, maximal aerobic running speed, maximal sprint speed, football players