Aerobic assessment of youth soccer players: correlation between continuous and intermittent progressive maximal field tests

Antnio Figueiredo1, Manuel Coelho e Silva1, Robert M Malina2 1 Youth Sports Institute. Faculty of Sport Science and Physical Education - University of Coimbra. Portugal 2 Research Professor, Tarleton State University, Stephenville, TX. USA Introduction In the context of soccer, fitness includes several attributes and competencies. The aerobic system is the main source of energy provision during match play (Bangsbo, 1994). A convenient practical test for estimating maximal aerobic power is the multi-stage shuttle run (Leger et al., 1988). This test is accepted as a valid indirect method for estimating maximal oxygen uptake (Reilly and Doran, 2003). Two field tests based upon the shuttle running concept, the YO-YO intermittent endurance test and YO-YO intermittent recovery test, have also been developed (Bangsbo, 1994). The present study evaluates the relationship between the original multistage shuttle- run (Leger et al., 1988) and the YOYO intermittent endurance test (Bangsbo, 1994) in young soccer players 13-18 years of age. Methods 69 players with at least two years experience in organized soccer were evaluated with the two aerobic tests with an interval of one week between the tests: week 1 - progressive run test (Leger et al., 1988), week 2 - YO-YO intermittent endurance test (Bangsbo, 1994). The subjects were grouped by chronological age: Initiates (13-14 years, n=22), Juveniles (15-16 years, n=18), Juniors (17-18 years, n=18). Bivariate and partial correlations (controlling for stature and body weight) were determined for the total sample and within each age-group. Significance level was set at 0.05. Results Characteristics of the sample are summarized in Table 1. Bivariate correlations between the two aerobic protocols were +0.78 (p.01) for the total sample, +0.68 (p.05) for Initiates, +0.73 (p.01) for Juveniles, +0.63 (p.01) for Juniors. Partial correlations, controlling for stature and body weight separately and in combination, did not substantially differ from bivariate coefficients (Table 2). Table 1. Descriptive statistics (mean sd) for each age-group
Age, years Stature, cm Weight, kg PACER, # PACER, m YO-YO, # YO-YO, m 13-14 (n=22) 14.1 0.5 164.8 4.6 54.4 6.3 66.8 12.2 1336 244 16.0 6.2 640 248 15-16 (n=29) 16.0 0.5 172.9 6.0 64.8 8.1 82.8 19.4 1655 388 37.6 13.3 1502 530 17-18 (n=18) 17.8 0.6 176.7 5.3 71.7 4.7 89.5 8.4 1790 167 38.8 7.3 1553 291

Table 2. Bivariate and partial correlations for each age-group and total sample
Age group Correlation Controlling for height +0.77** +0.67** +0.69** +0.63** Controlling for weight +0.76** +0.68** +0.72** +0.70** Total +0.78** 13-14 +0.68* 15-16 +0.73** 17-18 +0.63** * (p.05), ** (p.01), n.s. (not significant) Controlling for height and weight +0.76** +0.67** +0.68** +0.74**

Discussion/Conclusion The present study suggests that the traditional multi-stage shuttle-run and the YO-YO intermittent endurance test are moderately correlated. The shared variance is 61% for the total sample and is lowest among Juniors (about 40%). The results suggest that the intermittent test may assess a specific aerobic demand for soccer. References Bangsbo J (1994). Energy demands in competitive soccer. Journal of Sports Science. 12: 48-52 Leger L, Mercier D, Gadoury C, Lambert J (1988). The multistage 20-meter shuttle run test for aerobic fitness. Journal of Sports Science. 6: 93-100 Reilly T, Doran D (2003). Fitness assessment. In T Reilly, M Williams (Eds). Science and Soccer. Routledge. London.