Skip to main content
NCBI home page
British Journal of Sports Medicine logoLink to British Journal of Sports Medicine
. 2005 Jan;39(1):24–28. doi: 10.1136/bjsm.2003.009985

Endurance training and testing with the ball in young elite soccer players

K Chamari 1, Y Hachana 1, F Kaouech 1, R Jeddi 1, I Moussa-Chamari 1, U Wisloff 1
PMCID: PMC1725014  PMID: 15618335

Abstract

Background: The aerobic capacity of soccer players substantially influences their technical performance and tactical choices. Thus, the assessment of soccer players' aerobic performance should be of interest for soccer coaches in order to evaluate and improve their endurance training sessions. In this study, we present a new test to assess aerobic performance in soccer by means of a specific dribbling track: the Hoff test. We further determined whether improvement in maximal oxygen uptake was reflected in increased distance covered in the Hoff test.

Methods: We tested 18 male soccer players (14 years old) both in the laboratory and using the Hoff test before and after 8 weeks of soccer training.

Results: The distance covered in the Hoff test correlated significantly with maximum oxygen uptake, and improved by 9.6% during the 8 week training period, while maximum oxygen uptake and running economy improved by 12 and 10%, respectively. Backward multiple regression showed maximum oxygen uptake to be the main explanatory variable for the distance covered in the Hoff test.

Conclusion: The present study demonstrated a significant correlation between laboratory testing of VO2max and performance in the Hoff test. Furthermore, training induced improvements in VO2max were reflected in improved performance in the Hoff test. We suggest that it should be a goal for active U-15 soccer players to cover more than 2100 metres in the Hoff test, as this requires a VO2max of above 200 ml/kg0.75/min, which should serve as a minimum in modern soccer.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (81.8 KB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Bangsbo J. The physiology of soccer--with special reference to intense intermittent exercise. Acta Physiol Scand Suppl. 1994;619:1–155. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Beaver W. L., Wasserman K., Whipp B. J. A new method for detecting anaerobic threshold by gas exchange. J Appl Physiol (1985) 1986 Jun;60(6):2020–2027. doi: 10.1152/jappl.1986.60.6.2020. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Bergh U., Sjödin B., Forsberg A., Svedenhag J. The relationship between body mass and oxygen uptake during running in humans. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1991 Feb;23(2):205–211. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Billat L. V., Koralsztein J. P. Significance of the velocity at VO2max and time to exhaustion at this velocity. Sports Med. 1996 Aug;22(2):90–108. doi: 10.2165/00007256-199622020-00004. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Bunc V., Psotta R. Physiological profile of very young soccer players. J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2001 Sep;41(3):337–341. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Helgerud J., Engen L. C., Wisloff U., Hoff J. Aerobic endurance training improves soccer performance. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2001 Nov;33(11):1925–1931. doi: 10.1097/00005768-200111000-00019. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Hoff Jan, Wisløff U., Engen L. C., Kemi O. J., Helgerud J. Soccer specific aerobic endurance training. Br J Sports Med. 2002 Jun;36(3):218–221. doi: 10.1136/bjsm.36.3.218. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Kemi O. J., Hoff J., Engen L. C., Helgerud J., Wisløff U. Soccer specific testing of maximal oxygen uptake. J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2003 Jun;43(2):139–144. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Leatt P., Shephard R. J., Plyley M. J. Specific muscular development in under-18 soccer players. J Sports Sci. 1987 Summer;5(2):165–175. doi: 10.1080/02640418708729774. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Léger L. A., Mercier D., Gadoury C., Lambert J. The multistage 20 metre shuttle run test for aerobic fitness. J Sports Sci. 1988 Summer;6(2):93–101. doi: 10.1080/02640418808729800. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Léger L., Boucher R. An indirect continuous running multistage field test: the Université de Montréal track test. Can J Appl Sport Sci. 1980 Jun;5(2):77–84. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Paavolainen L., Häkkinen K., Hämäläinen I., Nummela A., Rusko H. Explosive-strength training improves 5-km running time by improving running economy and muscle power. J Appl Physiol (1985) 1999 May;86(5):1527–1533. doi: 10.1152/jappl.1999.86.5.1527. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Whipp B. J., Ward S. A., Lamarra N., Davis J. A., Wasserman K. Parameters of ventilatory and gas exchange dynamics during exercise. J Appl Physiol Respir Environ Exerc Physiol. 1982 Jun;52(6):1506–1513. doi: 10.1152/jappl.1982.52.6.1506. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Wisløff U., Helgerud J., Hoff J. Strength and endurance of elite soccer players. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1998 Mar;30(3):462–467. doi: 10.1097/00005768-199803000-00019. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from British Journal of Sports Medicine are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES