The acceleration and deceleration profiles of elite female soccer players during competitive matches

Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the acceleration (>= 2 m s(-2)) and deceleration (<= -2 ms(-2)) profiles of elite female soccer players during competitive matches. Design: Single cohort, observational study. Methods: An Optical Player Tracking system was used to determine acceleration (>= 2 m s(-2)) and deceleration (<= -2 m s(-2)) variables for twelve elite female players across seven competitive matches. Results: In total, players performed 423 (+/- 126) accelerations and 430 (+/- 125) decelerations per match. It was shown that the number of accelerations (p=0.003-0.034, partial eta(2) = 0.229-321) and decelerations (p=0.012-0.031, partial eta(2) =0.233-275) at different intensities (based on the start and final velocity) varied according to player position. Mean and maximum distance pereffort was 1-4 m and 2-3m, respectively, and differed between each intensity category (p<0.001, partial eta(2) = 0.753-0.908). The mean time between efforts was 14s for both accelerations (+/- 5s) and decelerations (+/- 4s) and fluctuated between 15 min time periods (p < 0.001, partial eta(2) =0.148-0.206). Conclusions: The acceleration and deceleration profiles varied according to player position and time period of the match. The results of this study can be used to design match-specific acceleration and deceleration drills to enhance change of speed ability. (C) 2017 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.