Informace o publikaci
The Use Of Critical Speed In Predicting Match Demand In Women’s Football
| Autoři | |
|---|---|
| Rok publikování | 2024 |
| Druh | Konferenční abstrakty |
| Fakulta / Pracoviště MU | |
| Citace | |
| Popis | Critical power (CP) defines the power an athlete can sustain without accumulating fatigue, marking the threshold between steady and non-steady exercise intensities. In football, this concept is represented by critical speed (CS), the pace a player can maintain for extended periods (several minutes to hours), beyond which fatigue rapidly sets in. Additionally, D Prime (D') represents the finite "reserve" of distance an athlete can cover above their CS, after which they must significantly slow down to recover. Given football's intermittent nature, which combines aerobic and high-intensity actions, understanding and applying CS is crucial. While predicting the exact onset of fatigue is challenging, frequent drops below CS during a match could indicate emerging fatigue, as players are forced to recover more often. This study aims to determine CS through field tests and explore its potential as a predictor of physiological performance demands in female football players. The research focuses on a first league team, with data collected during the spring and autumn seasons of 2024. Thirteen players initially participated, but only eight remained for the final analysis (average age: 20.8 ± 3.2 years, height: 167.1 ± 6.5 cm, weight: 64.4 ± 5.2 kg). The group included 1 forward, 3 defenders, and 5 midfielders. Fitness assessments involved the Yo-Yo IR1 test and field tests to determine CS. Players were monitored using GPS during matches to gather data on CS frequency, distance covered at various intensities, and deviations within ±5% and ±10% of CS, and other relevant parameters. Pearson correlation was used to examine relationships between CS and performance metrics. Preliminary data from four matches highlight the importance of CS in managing endurance and fatigue. A strong negative correlation (-0.68) between CS frequency and both sprint meters and distance at CS in the final 15 minutes suggests that as players fatigue, they prioritize maintaining their CS, leading to fewer sprints and a more consistent pace. Positive correlations with time spent 5% and 10% below CS (r = 0.65 and r = 0.68) and with walking (r = 0.58) indicate that players tend to drop slightly below CS as a strategy to conserve energy and sustain performance. These findings suggest that managing intensity just below CS could be crucial for endurance. As more matches are analysed in the autumn, these insights will be refined, offering a deeper understanding of the physiological demands in women's football. Ultimately, the findings are expected to provide valuable insights for optimizing training regimens, improving match preparation, and enhancing overall player performance by effectively applying the concept of CS in football. |