FMRP Faculty of Medicine at Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Avenue Bandeirantes 3900-Monte Alegre, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, 14049-900, Brazil.
LaBioCoM Biomechanics and Motor Control Laboratory, School of Physical Education and Sport of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Campus Ribeirão Preto, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil.
Sports Med. 2019 Feb;49(2):289-318. doi: 10.1007/s40279-018-01048-8.
To date, athletic performance has been extensively assessed in youth soccer players through laboratory and field testing. Only recently has running performance via time-motion analysis been assessed during match play. Match running data are often useful in a practical context to aid game understanding and decision making regarding training content and prescriptions. A plethora of previous reviews have collated and appraised the literature on time-motion analysis in professional senior players, but none have solely examined youth players.
The aim of the present systematic review was to provide a critical appraisal and summary of the original research articles that have evaluated match running performance in young male soccer players.
Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) statement, literature searches were performed in four databases: PubMed, ISI Web of Science, SPORTDiscus and SciELO. We used the following descriptors: soccer, football, young, youth, junior, physical performance, running performance, match running performance, movement patterns, time-motion analysis, distances covered, activity profile, work rate, match analysis, and match performance. Articles were included only if they were original articles written in the English language, studied populations of male children and/or adolescents (aged ≤ 20 years), were published/ahead of print on or before 31 December 2017 and showed at least one outcome measure regarding match running performance, such as total distance covered, peak game speed or indicators of activities performed at established speed thresholds.
A total of 5801 records were found. After duplicates were removed and exclusion and inclusion criteria applied, 50 articles were included (n = 2615 participants). Their outcome measures were extracted and findings were synthesized. The majority of the reviewed papers covered the European continent (62%) and used global positioning systems (GPS) (64%). Measurement error of the tools used to obtain position data and running metrics was systematically overlooked among the studies. The main aims of studies were to examine differences across playing positions (20%), age groups (26%) and match halves (36%). Consistent findings pointed to the existence of positional role and age effects on match running output (using fixed running speed thresholds), but there was no clear consensus about reductions in activity over the course of match play. Congested schedules negatively affected players' running performance. While over 32% of all studies assessed the relationships between match running performance and physical capacity, biochemical markers and body composition, ~ 70% of these did not account for playing position.
This review collated scientific evidence that can aid soccer conditioning professionals in understanding external match loads across youth categories. Coaches working with youth development programs should consider that data derived from a given population may not be relevant for other populations, since game rules, match format and configuration are essentially unstandardized among studies for age-matched players. Despite limited evidence, periodization training emphasizing technical-tactical content can improve match running performance. Occurrence of acute and residual impairments in the running performance of young soccer players is common. Prescription of postmatch recovery strategies, such as cold water immersion and spa treatment, can potentially help reduce these declines, although additional research is warranted. This review also highlighted areas requiring further investigation, such as the possible influence of environmental and contextual constraints and a more integrative approach combining tactical and technical data.
迄今为止，通过实验室和现场测试，运动表现已广泛应用于青年足球运动员。直到最近，在比赛中才通过时间运动分析来评估跑动表现。比赛跑动数据在实际情况下通常很有用，可以帮助理解比赛，并就训练内容和方案做出决策。之前有很多评论综合评估了职业高级运动员的时间运动分析文献，但没有一个是专门针对青年运动员的。
本系统评价的目的是批判性地评估和总结评估年轻男性足球运动员比赛跑动表现的原始研究文章。
根据《系统评价和荟萃分析的首选报告项目》（PRISMA）声明，在四个数据库中进行了文献检索：PubMed、ISI Web of Science、SPORTDiscus 和 SciELO。我们使用了以下描述词：足球、足球、年轻、青年、初级、体能、跑动表现、比赛跑动表现、运动模式、时间运动分析、跑动距离、活动模式、工作率、比赛分析和比赛表现。只有那些用英语写的、研究人群为男性儿童和/或青少年（≤20 岁）的原创文章，并且在 2017 年 12 月 31 日之前发表或预印本的文章才被包括在内，并且至少有一个关于比赛跑动表现的结果测量，例如总跑动距离、峰值比赛速度或在既定速度阈值下进行的活动指标。
共发现 5801 条记录。在去除重复项并应用排除和纳入标准后，有 50 篇文章被纳入（n=2615 名参与者）。提取了他们的结果测量值，并综合了研究结果。大多数综述论文涵盖了欧洲大陆（62%），并使用了全球定位系统（GPS）（64%）。研究中系统地忽略了用于获取位置数据和跑动指标的工具的测量误差。研究的主要目的是研究不同比赛位置（20%）、年龄组（26%）和比赛半场（36%）之间的差异。一致的研究结果表明，在使用固定跑动速度阈值时，存在位置角色和年龄对比赛跑动输出的影响，但对于比赛过程中活动减少的问题并没有明确的共识。密集的赛程对球员的跑动表现产生负面影响。尽管超过 32%的研究评估了比赛跑动表现与身体能力、生化标志物和身体成分之间的关系，但约 70%的研究没有考虑比赛位置。
本综述汇集了科学证据，可以帮助足球体能专业人员了解青年运动员的外部比赛负荷。从事青年发展项目的教练应该考虑到，从特定人群中获得的数据可能不适用于其他人群，因为在为年龄匹配的球员进行研究时，比赛规则、比赛形式和配置基本上是不标准化的。尽管证据有限，但强调技术战术内容的阶段性训练可以提高比赛跑动表现。年轻足球运动员的急性和残留运动表现下降很常见。赛后恢复策略的处方，如冷水浸泡和水疗，可以潜在地帮助减少这些下降，但还需要进一步的研究。本综述还强调了需要进一步调查的领域，例如环境和背景约束的可能影响，以及结合战术和技术数据的更综合的方法。
