Fitness Profiling in Women Soccer: Performance Characteristics of Elite Turkish Women Soccer Players

Year 2019, , 78 - 90, 30.04.2019

İbrahim Can , Aras Beka Yaşar Serdar Bayrakdaroğlu Beyza Yıldız

https://doi.org/10.15314/tsed.510853

Cited By: 4

Abstract

The aim
of this investigation was to evaluate an overall performance of the elite
women football players. In accordance with this purpose, 11 women football
players (age: 21,5 ± 2,58 years; height: 160,8 ± 5,17 cm; weight: 55,8 ± 7,23
kg) who plays in Turkish Women’s 1^st Football League participated
voluntarily. In order to measure athlete’s aerobic capacity, Yo-Yo intermittent
recovery test (Yo-Yo IR1) was applied and maximal oxygen uptake (VO_2max) values were estimated by
using running distances obtained from the test results. The Wingate anaerobic
power test (WanT) to measure the athlete's anaerobic properties, the vertical
jump (VJ) and standing long jump (SLJ) tests to determine explosive power, the
Illinois agility test to measure agility skills, 10 and 30 meters sprint runs
to measure sprint performances, hand grip and back-leg strength tests to
measure strength characteristics were used. In order to obtain power and velocity
parameters, loaded-squat jump (SJ_Loaded) was applied with an resistance
that equaled to 40% of body weight and bench throw (BT) was applied with an resistance
that equaled to 30% of body weight of the participants by applying an
isoinertial device and results of peak power (PP), peak velocity (PV), mean
propulsive power (MPP), and mean propulsive velocity (MPV) during both
movements were recorded. Statistical analysis was used in the assessment
of the data. According to analysis results, it was achieved that Yo-Yo IR1
running distances was as 676,3 ± 156,4 meters, while
VO_2max values of athletes were estimated as 42,2 ± 1,20 ml/kg^-1/min^-1.
Relative and absolute anaerobic power values for elite women football players
were obtained as 439,7 (± 61,18 W) and 8,04 (± 1,09 W/kg) for maximal anaerobic
power, 316,1 (± 34,46 W) and 5,78 (± 0,56 W/kg) for maximal anaerobic capacity,
193,6 (±22,30 W) and 3,55 (± 0,61 W/kg) for minimal anaerobic power, respectively.
In addition, fatigue index values measured as 55,7 (± 3,75 %). Participant’s
right and left hand grip strength values were obtained as 30,6 (± 4,62 kg) and
29,6 (± 4,5 kg), back and leg strength values measured as 90,2 (± 18,7 kg) and
101,8 (± 29,5 kg), respectively. Participant’s 10 and 30 meters sprint duration
were obtained as 1,85 (± 0,12 sec) and 4,96 (± 0,34 sec). SLJ, VJ and agility
values were obtained as 178,4 (± 21,1 cm), 35,7 (± 4,60 cm) and 17,6 (±0,67
sec), respectively. Velocity and power values for athletes during BT movement
were obtained as 1,21 (± 0,10 m/sec) for MPV, 2,04 (± 0,18 m/sec) for PV, 353,6
(± 83,2 W) for MPP and 666,3 (± 152,1 W) for PP. In response to this, velocity
and power values for athletes during SJ_Loaded movement were obtained
as 1,21 (±,10 m/sec) for MPV, 2,04 (± ,18 m/sec) for PV, 353,6 (± 83,2 W) for
MPP and 666,3 (± 152,1 W) for PP. As a result, although there
are many studies on physical or physiological characteristics of elite male
footballers, the literature on the overall performance characteristics of women
football players are limited. It is thought that the results obtained are
important to fill this lack in the literature and will be the reference source
for future research.

Keywords

Women, Football, Performance, Fitness

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