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In this study, we examined the effects of a prior run-up on intermittent maximal vertical jump performance. Seven regionally ranked male volleyball players volunteered to participate in the study. They performed three randomized tests: (1) six repeated intermittent maximal jumps (jump condition), (2) six repeated intermittent run-ups (run-up condition), and (3) six repeated run-ups followed by maximal jumps (run-up plus jump condition). All performances were assessed and blood lactate concentration and heart rate were measured before and after each of the tests. Mean ( ± ) jump performance (64.7 ± 2.3&ThickSpace;cm) increased significantly ( P = 0.02) over the course of the jump condition and was significantly higher ( P < 0.001) than for the run-up plus jump condition (58.0 ± 3.2&ThickSpace;cm), which tended to decrease with repetition. Blood lactate concentration was significantly higher in the run-up plus jump condition (3.73 ± 0.24&ThickSpace;mmol · l -1 ) than in the jump (2.61 ± 0.26&ThickSpace;mmol · l -1 , P = 0.02) and run-up (2.86 ± 0.18&ThickSpace;mmol · l -1 , P = 0.03) conditions. The increase in heart rate was significantly higher both in the run-up plus jump condition (33 ± 6 beats · min -1 , P = 0.05) and run-up condition (33 ± 4 beats · min -1 , P = 0.02) than in the jump condition (21 ± 3 beats · min -1 ). The results indicate that the addition of run-ups probably impeded performance in the repetition of vertical jumps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aerobic capacity of soccer players substantially influences their technical performance and tactical choices. Thus, the assessment of soccer players' aerobic performance should be of interest for soccer coaches in order to evaluate and improve their endurance training sessions. In this study, we present a new test to assess aerobic performance in soccer by means of a specific dribbling track: the Hoff test. We further determined whether improvement in maximal oxygen uptake was reflected in increased distance covered in the Hoff test. Methods: We tested 18 male soccer players (14 years old) both in the laboratory and using the Hoff test before and after 8 weeks of soccer training. Results: The distance covered in the Hoff test correlated significantly with maximum oxygen uptake, and improved by 9.6% during the 8 week training period, while maximum oxygen uptake and running economy improved by 12 and 10%, respectively. Backward multiple regression showed maximum oxygen uptake to be the main explanatory variable for the distance covered in the Hoff test. Conclusion: The present study demonstrated a significant correlation between laboratory testing of VO2max and performance in the Hoff test. Furthermore, training induced improvements in VO2max were reflected in improved performance in the Hoff test. We suggest that it should be a goal for active U-15 soccer players to cover more than 2100 metres in the Hoff test, as this requires a VO2max of above 200 ml/kg0.75/min, which should serve as a minimum in modern soccer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]