Term of Award

Spring 2022

Degree Name

Master of Science in Kinesiology (M.S.)

Document Type and Release Option

Thesis (open access)

Copyright Statement / License for Reuse

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Department

Department of Health Sciences and Kinesiology

Committee Chair

Stephen Rossi

Committee Member 1

Samuel Wilson

Committee Member 2

Bridget Melton

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Preseason is an essential component of sport; it prepares players physiologically for the beginning of the competitive season by allowing for improvements in performance and fitness variables. As the season progresses, the need to maintain an ideal performance state may be difficult due to accumulating training load. PURPOSE: The purpose was to determine the seasonal variation of power, agility, and body fat percentage (BF%) via a series of tests throughout the competitive season of American professional soccer players. METHODS: 23 male United Soccer League (USL) One players underwent a performance battery (akimbo vertical jump (VJ), reactive strength index (RSI), L-Drill and Pro-Agility Shuttle) and 3-site skinfold BF% analysis at three separate times during the course of a 10-month competitive season. All data was recorded by the same trained exercise professionals for the duration of the season. Repeated measures ANOVA analyses (a = 0.05) were used to determine the seasonal variation at the four-separate timepoints (Preseason (P), Start of regular season (S), mid-season (M) and end of season (E)). Post-hoc analyses on significant omnibus findings were analyzed with Bonferroni correction factor. Players who were exempt from testing due to injury are not included in the ANOVA analyses. RESULTS: Four out of the five variables of interest (ACMJ, L-Drill, Pro-Agility Drill and BF%) reported statistically significant effects over the course of the competitive season. No statistically significant interaction was found in RSI between the four timepoints. CONCLUSION: Based on the results of this study it is recommended that professional soccer teams should repeatedly monitor performance variables of players throughout a competitive season. This insightful information can aid coaches in better understanding how player readiness and how the season can directly affect players.

OCLC Number

1367361908

Research Data and Supplementary Material

No

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