Deceleration Assessment – Better Braking Makes you Faster
Introduction We all know how important acceleration, speed, and change of direction are for achieving top performance on the football field. Football is a multidirectional speed sport, and one aspect that has only been extensively researched in recent years is deceleration. Let’s go through what deceleration is, how and when it manifests in a football […]
Pre-season Assessments and Monitoring: Are Returning Athletes “Strong Enough” to Run Fast?
Alex Natera is Manager of Performance Support at the New South Wales Institute of Sport, where he oversees a department of 40 world-class practitioners across Strength and Conditioning, Physiology, Psychology, Nutrition, Biomechanics and Performance Analysis disciplines. Alex’s background in Strength and Conditioning spans nearly 25 years in professional sports and National institutes of sport across […]
Tracking Success: How GPS Data Transforms Soccer Training
GPS tracking is transforming soccer training by providing detailed insights into player performance. This study analyzes data from youth Croatian National Soccer Teams to uncover patterns that optimize training efficiency and player safety. By applying clustering techniques and developing new metrics, key insights reveal how different training activities impact cardiovascular exertion, movement patterns, and intensity levels. Future research could refine injury prediction, enhance drill optimization, and improve training segmentation for better performance outcomes.
Embracing the Role of Sports Scientists: Translating Data into Action for Team Success
In today’s sports world, the role of the sports scientist has become crucial as teams and organizations face an influx of data – a “data tsunami.” Jo Clubb was a guest on the Inform Performance Podcast where she talked about the crucial role of sports scientists in today’s sports world and how to handle the […]
Positive Relationship of Trunk Movements and Acceleration
The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between trunk movements and whole-body acceleration, velocity and performance time during an all-out 20 m sprint test. This study encompassed 21 male top level football players. The participants were equipped with a Catapult OptimEyeX4 device that included a GPS sensor, an accelerometer and a gyroscope. […]
Random Thoughts on the Latest Research on Hamstring Injuries and Programming
This paper effectively summarizes key aspects of sprinting in football, offering valuable insights into periodization strategies, monitoring sprinting, and defining appropriate dosage. One of the highlights is the mention of MD-2 as the “most tactical” and “speed” day of the week. However, as the authors point out, the accumulated load from MD-4 and MD-3 can […]
Monitoring Elite Young Soccer Players: Insights from GPS and Metabolic Power Analysis
A connection with study of Darbellay et al. (2020), written in collaboration with Insiders. I recently had the pleasure of an insightful conversation with Hannes Pinter about the intricacies of periodisation in sports. What began as a casual exchange of ideas on LinkedIn evolved into a deep discussion during a video call, where we explored […]
From the Diamond to the Clinic: How ForceFrame Training Mode is Changing the Game
Matt Witt is a Doctor of Physical Therapy and Business Development Manager at VALD. Previously, Matt worked as a Performance Physical Therapist with the New York Mets. Here, he gained an appreciation for using VALD systems as staples in his rehabilitation process and has a unique insight into how they are implemented in elite sports. In this […]
Exploring the Impact of Priming Sessions on Elite Soccer Performance
Introduction Elite soccer is a sport where optimal match preparation is essential. Physical performance, especially in terms of running distance and intensity, significantly affects gameplay, with high-intensity efforts often tied to pivotal moments, such as winning duels or intercepting the ball. This study investigates whether a morning priming session on match day enhances physical and […]
Use “Hidden Testing” to Improve Your Warm-ups
We explored soccer testing in a UEFA conditioning course, focusing on efficient ways to integrate testing methods like LESS, CMAS, and S-MAS into training to improve performance and reduce injury risk.
