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Study purpose. This study aimed at investigating the anthropometric and physiological characteristics that affect soccer skills in advanced-level youth soccer players. Materials and methods. Ninety advanced youth male soccer players from the U-18 division 1 soccer club were enrolled to participate in this study. The participants were classified into three different positions: defenders, midfielders, and forwards. The anthropometric profiles (height, weight, and body fat) and physiological variables (Y-balance test, Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test Level 1, running-based anaerobic sprint test, sit-up test, countermovement jump test, drop jump test, arrowhead agility test, and 40-m sprint test) were assessed. Soccerspecific skills were measured using the Loughborough soccer passing and shooting protocol. Results. The multiple regression analysis revealed a statistically significant relationship between physical factors and the Loughborough soccer passing ability (R2 = 0.291, F(15, 74) = 2.200, p = 0.015). The results indicated that the relative maximum power displayed the strongest association with passing ability, followed by sit-up, countermovement jump without and with arm swing, and fatigue index. Concerning the shooting performance, the predictors accounted for 21.8% of the variance, with sit-up being the sole significant predictor among other factors. Conclusions. Our findings underscore the significance of relative maximum power, fatigue tolerance, muscular power, and core strength as valuable predictors for enhancing passing ability. In addition, abdominal strength emerged as a crucial indicator of shooting performance. Soccer coaches could use the essential information described in this study for talent identification purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Biological maturity level has shown to affect sport performance in youths. However, most previous studies have used noninvasive methods to estimate maturity level. Thus, the main aim of the present study was to investigate the association between skeletal age (SA) as a measure of biological maturation level, match locomotion, and physical capacity in male youth soccer players. Method: Thirty‐eight Norwegian players were followed during two consecutive seasons (U14 and U15). Match locomotion was assessed with GPS‐tracking in matches. SA, assessed by x‐ray, physical capacities (speed, strength and endurance) and anthropometrics were measured in the middle of each season. Analysis of associations between SA, match locomotion, and physical capacities were adjusted for the potential confounding effect of body height and weight. Results: In matches, positive associations were found between SA and maximal speed and running distance in the highest speed zones. Further, SA was associated with 40 m sprint time and countermovement jump (CMJ) height, and with intermittent‐endurance capacity after adjusting for body height (U14). Associations between SA and leg strength and power, and between SA and absolute VO2max were not significant after adjusting for body weight. There was no association between SA and total distance covered in matches. Conclusion: Biological maturity level influence match locomotion and performance on physical capacity tests. It is important that players, parents and coaches are aware of the advantages more mature players have during puberty, and that less mature players also are given attention, appropriate training and match competition to ensure proper development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Talent identification in football is complex. Research regarding talent indicators that predict selection into professional academies is increasingly multi-disciplinary, though is typically cross-sectional, failing to consider whether the rate of change of those indicators influences selection. The aim of this study was to determine if longitudinal changes in talent indicators are associated with selection into a professional football academy. A total of 110 Dutch male football players (aged 8–12) playing in a youth development programme of a professional club were included in the study. Players were assessed regularly on their anthropometry, physical fitness, gross motor coordination, technical ability, and psychosocial capacities over four years. A subset of players was then selected into the academy. Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses revealed the indicators that best predicted selection. The best indicator was the 30 m sprint speed, with prediction not improving when including other predictors or their rate of change. The individuals that the club ultimately selected at age 12 could have been predicted well above chance levels using the sprint speeds at age nine or ten. The relative consistency of the rate of improvement in indicators across participants meant that the rate at which they developed played little role in selections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering that most professional academies seek to optimize the early detection and physical development of their younger players, the purpose of this study was to examine the anthropometric and physical fitness characteristics in a large cross-sectional sample of youth soccer players in Eastern Europe, starting from a very young age during their in-season period. Three hundred and thirteen soccer players (n = 313), grouped into eight age categories, participated in the study. On the basis of chronological age, the group categories were: 7 (n = 26), 8 (n = 41), 9 (n = 46), 10 (n = 48), 11 (n = 42), 12 (n = 47), 13 (n = 43), and 14 years old (n = 20). The players underwent an anthropometric evaluation, flexibility, handgrip strength, vertical jump performance, speed, and agility assessments. A one-way multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) indicated significant differences in the anthropometric and physical fitness variables based on chronological age (F = 13.40, p < 0.05, Wilk's Λ = 0.08, partial η2 = 0.30). Concurrently, there were significant growth and physical fitness differences even in players born in the same chronological year. It is believed that the results have important practical implications, especially for those involved in youth soccer. Based on our results, coaches should contemplate speed and agility development in training sessions starting from a much younger age, as sprinting while changing directions has been considered an essential prerequisite in soccer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To compare the effects of short-term (i.e., 7 weeks) plyometric jump training applied before (PJT-B) or after (PJT-A) soccer practice on components of physical fitness in young soccer players, a single-blind randomized controlled trial was conducted. Postpubertal boys aged 17.0 ± 0.5 years were allocated to 3 groups: PJT-B (n = 12), PJT-A (n = 14), and control (CON; n = 12). The outcome measures included tests to evaluate 20-m speed, standing long jump (SLJ), squat jump (SJ), countermovement jump (CMJ), and drop jump (DJ), 20-m multistage shuttle run endurance (MSSRT), and Illinois change-of-direction speed (ICODT). Although the CON performed soccer-specific training, the PJT-A and PJT-B groups conducted the same soccerspecific sessions but replaced ;11% of their time with plyometric training. The PJT-B group performed plyometric exercises after a warm-up program, and the PJT-A group conducted plyometric exercises ;10 minutes after the completion of soccer training. Analyses of variance were used to detect differences between groups in all variables for pretraining and posttraining tests. Main effects of time (all p, 0.01; d = 0.19-0.79) and group 3 time interactions (all p# 0.05; d = 0.17-0.76) were observed for all examined variables. Post hoc analyses revealed significant increases in the PJT-B group (SLJ: 9.4%, d = 1.7; CMJ: 11.2%, d = 0.75; 20-m MSSRT: 9.0%, d = 0.77) and the PJT-A group (SLJ: 3.1%, d = 0.7; CMJ: 4.9%, d = 0.27; 20-m MSSRT: 9.0%, d = 0.76). Post hoc analyses also revealed significant increases in the PJT-B group (20-m speed: 27.4%, d = 0.75; 20-cm DJ reactive strength index: 19.1%, d = 1.4; SJ: 6.3%, d = 0.44; ICODT results: 24.2%, d = 1.1). In general, our study revealed that plyometric training is effective in improving measures of physical fitness in young male soccer players when combined with regular soccer training. More specifically, larger traininginduced effects on physical fitness were registered if plyometric training was conducted before soccer-specific training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soccer is the most practiced sport in the world. This popularity is since practically anyone can play it amateurishly, but as it becomes professionalized it requires the valuation of an anthropometric profile that favors a certain role within the playing field. The objective of the study was to compare the anthropometric characteristics of Chilean youth soccer players sub 14, sub 15 and sub 16 according to the game position and category. The number of individuals evaluated in this study was 180 male youth players in the sub 14 categories (n = 60), sub 15 (n = 58) and sub 16 (n = 62), belonging to the lower divisions of the soccer clubs: Audax Italiano (n = 62), Cobresal (n = 57) and Magallanes (n = 61) from the Metropolitan Region. The sample was chosen for convenience and consists of the total of players belonging to these three categories and these three soccer teams. These players had an average training of 4 days a week with a duration of each practice session of 120 minutes, plus a match on weekends with a duration of 90 minutes. There were significant differences in all of them between different game positions. We can emphasize that the central defenses presented the greatest statistical differences in all the lengths corresponding to the lower limbs: iliospinal height (97.6 ± 3.6), trochanteric height (92.1 ± 3.3), trochanteric-tibial lateral length (45.2 ± 1.7), lateral tibial height (46.3 ± 1.8) and medialmalleolar medial tibial length (38.7 ± 2.0), whereas the archers had them in the lengths of the train superior: acromio-radial (33.0 ± 1.6), radial- styloid (27.8 ± 1.7) and styloid-dactyly medium (20.2 ± 1.0). It was also found that there are significant differences in weight among players of different categories, with those of sub 16 having the highest weight (65.7 ± 7.4) and those of sub 14 the lowest (58.7 ± 8.1). At the same time, it is shown how there are statistical differences in the size between the sub 14 division who obtained the lowest measurement on average and the other 2 series confronted, but not so between sub 15 and sub 16, the latter being those who had the highest stature on average. It is also shown as the percentage of fat mass, ranging between 24.2% of the sub 15 division in its lower limit, and 25.2% of the sub 14 in its upper limit being all considered as "acceptable" and without statistical significance between any categories. Statistical differences were found between the sub 14 category and the sub 16 category in all body lengths except in the radial-styloid. It is also shown that there are significant differences between the sub 14 and sub 15 in the lengths: acromio-radial and trochanteric-lateral tibial and in the heights: ilio-spinal, trochanteric and lateral tibial. This is directly related to the lower average stature they present in the sub-division 14. In turn, no statistical significance was found at any length between sub-15 and sub-16 players. Likewise, statistical differences were found in the weight, height, and weight of: skin, fat, bone mass, muscle, residual mass and in all body lengths less than radial-styloid among players of different categories. The results show the importance of dividing the young players in a greater number of positional roles when defining the ideal anthropometric characteristics according to their location in the field of play. The differences found in the body composition between categories suggest paying attention to the development of maturity when promoting a player to a larger division. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the current study was to examine the relationship between performance of the Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test Level 1 (Yo-YoIR1) and the 30-15 Intermittent Fitness Test (30-15IFT) and to compare the sensitivity of both tests to training. Fourteen young soccer players performed both tests before and after an 8-wk training intervention, which included 6 sessions/wk: 2 resistance training sessions, 2 high-intensity interval training sessions after technical training (4 sets of 3:30 min of generic running and small-sided games [4v4] during the first and second 4-wk periods, respectively [90-95% maximal HR], interspersed with 3 min at 60-70% maximal HR), and 2 tactical-only training sessions. There was a large correlation between 30-15IFT and Yo-YoIR1 (r = .75, 90% confidence limits [CL] 0.57;0.86). While within-test percentage changes suggested a greater sensitivity to training for the Yo-YoIR1 (+35%, 90%CL 24;45) than for the 30-15IFT (+7%; 4;10), these changes were similarly rated as almost certain (with chances for greater/similar/lower values after training of 100/0/0 for both tests) and moderate, ie, standardized difference, ES = +1.2 90%CL (0.9;1.5) for Yo-YoIR1 and ES = +1.1 (0.7;1.5) for 30-15IFT. The difference in the change between the 2 tests was clearly trivial (0/100/0, ES = -0.1, 90%CL -0.1;-0.1). Both tests might evaluate slightly different physical capacities, but their sensitivity to training is almost certainly similar. These results also highlight the importance of using standardized differences instead of percentage changes in performance to assess the actual training effect of an intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Numerous epidemiological studies have emphasized the burden of lateral ankle sprains in youth soccer players. However, no prospective study has identified intrinsic physical and modifiable risk factors for these injuries in this particular population. Although injury prevention programs in soccer incorporate proximal hip and core stability exercises, it is striking that the relationship between impaired proximal hip function and ankle sprains has not yet been prospectively investigated in youth soccer players. Hypothesis: This prospective study aimed to examine whether hip muscle strength is a risk factor for sustaining a lateral ankle sprain in youth soccer players. We hypothesized that decreased hip muscle strength would predispose youth soccer players to an increased risk of lateral ankle sprains. Study Design: Case-control study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: This study included a total of 133 male youth soccer players (age divisions U11-U17) for analysis. At the beginning of the season, anthropometric characteristics were collected and hip muscle strength was assessed using a handheld dynamometer. Injury registration was performed by the team medical staff during 3 consecutive seasons. A principal-component, multivariate Cox regression analysis was performed to identify potential risk factors for sustaining a lateral ankle sprain. Results: Twelve participants (18% of all reported injuries) sustained a lateral ankle sprain (0.36 per 1000 athletic-exposure hours). After adjustment for body size dependencies and other hip muscle forces, an increase in hip muscle extension force was associated with a significant decrease in the hazard of the injury (hazard ratio, 0.3; 95% confidence interval, 0.1-0.9; P = .028). No other study variable could be identified as a risk factor for lateral ankle sprains. Conclusion: Reduced hip extension muscle strength is an independent risk factor for lateral ankle sprains in male youth soccer players. Other hip muscle strength outcomes were not identified as risk factors. Replication in larger samples with more injured cases is warranted to further ascertain the importance of this risk factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The purpose of this review article was firstly to evaluate the traditional approach to talent identification in youth soccer and secondly present pilot data on a more holistic method for talent identification. Research evidence exists to suggest that talent identification mechanisms that are predicated upon the physical (anthropometric) attributes of the early maturing individual only serve to identify current performance levels. Greater body mass and stature have both been related to faster ball shooting speed and vertical jump capacity respectively in elite youth soccer players. This approach, however, may prematurely exclude those late maturing individuals. Multiple physiological measures have also been used in an effort to determine key predictors of performance; with agility and sprint times, being identified as variables that could discriminate between elite and sub-elite groups of adolescent soccer players. Successful soccer performance is the product of multiple systems interacting with one another. Consequently, a more holistic approach to talent identification should be considered. Recent work, with elite youth soccer players, has considered whether multiple small-sided games could act as a talent identification tool in this population. The results demonstrated that there was a moderate agreement between the more technically gifted soccer player and success during multiple small-sided games. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present study was to clarify relationships among the distribution of birth month, maturation and body size in young soccer players. We therefore examined physical and maturational differences between selected players, who were considered to have higher potential to play soccer at a professional level as decided subjectively by coaches, and unselected players. Participants were 332 elite soccer players (mean age = 12.2 ± 1.5 years; range = 9.1-15.0 years). Participants were divided into six categories (under = U10 to U15), depending on chronological age. Height, body mass skeletal age and maturation difference (skeletal age - chronological age) were compared among four groups (quarter = Q1 to Q4) depending on month of birth. Overall, the distribution of players across the four quarters was skewed such that numbers were greatest in Q1 and smallest in Q4. No significant differences in maturation difference were observed between birth quarters in any age category. On the other hand, except for the U14 age category, there were no significant differences in height between Q4 and Q1 players. However, the height of Q4 players was significantly smaller than those of Q1 in three (U11, U13 and U14, P < 0.01) of six categories when maturation difference was statistically controlled. Our results suggest a clear bias toward quarter of birth and this bias may depend to some extent on differences in individual skeletal age and body size. Individual biological maturation should thus be considered when selecting adolescent soccer players. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]