Programming high-speed and sprint running exposure in football: beliefs and practices of more than 100 practitioners worldwide

Antonio Dello Iacono*, Marco Beato, Viswanath B. Unnithan, Tzlil Sushan

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)
49 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Purpose: To gain knowledge on the beliefs and practices of football practitioners applying high-speed and sprint running exposure programming strategies. Methods: One hundred two football practitioners from 22 different countries participated in a study consisting of a survey including 5 domains: demographic and professional characteristics (Who); importance of high-speed and sprint running exposure for physical-capability development, preparation for competition, and injury-prevention strategies (Why); exposure timing (When); methodological procedures for exposure monitoring and training scheduling (What); and effectiveness of common training practices (How). Data were analyzed using a combination of descriptive statistics, generalized mixed effects, and multinomial logistic regression models. Results: Data revealed 5 main findings: (1) overall agreement on the importance of exposure for physical-capability development, preparation for competition, and injury-prevention strategies; (2) different exposure timing and selective training scheduling for starting and nonstarting players across typical and congested weeks; (3) lack of consensus on the conceptual constructs defining high-speed and sprint running metrics and the methodological procedures used for monitoring; (4) a probable association between match-related outcomes and exposure strategies used in training; and (5) a broad range of training methods considered effective to elicit exposure. Conclusions: This study provides actionable insights into the planning, implementing, and monitoring strategies for high-speed and sprint running exposure in football. While some conform with the evidence on high-speed and sprint running training in football, further research and professional debate are warranted to develop empirical knowledge and provide pragmatic recommendations to help practitioners in adopting evidence-informed decisions.
Original languageEnglish
Number of pages16
JournalInternational Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance
Early online date28 Apr 2023
DOIs
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 28 Apr 2023

Keywords

  • external load monitoring
  • performance
  • strength and conditioning
  • training load

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