ACSM Presentation

The advancement of wearable technology allows for the collection of measurements during soccer activity including External workload and speed bands

External workload: an objective quantification of work done during a session (distance covered)

Speed bands: levels of speed that a player must be in for a second to apply

SB Zone 1: 0.98 to 2.98 m/s

SB Zone 2: 2.99 to 5.01 m/s

SB Zone 3: 5.02 to 7.01 m/s

SB Zone 4: 7.01 to 10 m/s

An athlete’s external workload and Speed bands can provide proper insight into the demands of competitive play and can influence training protocols

The study looked at 2 preseason games and 10 competitive season games

speed bands were determined by the sensor developer and the external workload is distance-based

18 Division 1 male college soccer athletes

GPS system created by titan

rests between the shoulder blades

excluded if less than 75% of sessions were recorded

utilized a series of paired sample T-tests with an alpha level of p<0.05

significant differences between preseason and competitive season games

athletes were operating at higher speed band zones in the competitive season

a higher external workload means that there was more distance covered

can provide a base for more specific training during the preseason

look into the tempo of games, frequency of high-speed running, total distance, and acceleration and deceleration

integration of high-intensity drills into the preseason along with simulated game scenarios (demand-wise)

allows for the athlete to be better prepared for the demands of the competitive season

good levels, consistently, can allow for reducing the risk of injury and improving performance