Importance of the functional tests of the professional soccer players in the organization of the training process.

Problem Statement and Purpose: Soccer is a sport characterized by high intensity and duration. The energy needed to play a soccer match is provided by aerobic metabolism. Therefore, it is important to determine such parameters as oxygen consumption and maximal oxygen consumption in soccer players. The aim of the study is to track the changes in the functional indicators of professional soccer players during the spring half-season and to give recommendations for changes in the training plan to increase their performance and reduce fatigue at the end of the season. Approach: The study involved 13 professional soccer players and was conducted in the period January - June. Functional examination of respiration - spirometry and determination of gas exchange parameters during exercise - spiroergometry were performed twice at the beginning and at the end of the period. Results: The spirometry data of the subjects showed values close to the predicted values. The decrease in values at the end of the spring half-season is probably due to the fatigue accumulated during this period. Although the values show a decrease in the parameters, there is no statistically significant difference in the two measurements of the Tifno index, but there is a statistically significant difference in the decrease in VC (Wilcoxon signed rank test, p value = 0.04) and FEO1 (Wilcoxon signed rank test, p value = 0.0002). The fact that even the indicators at the beginning of the study are to some extent underestimated, shows the accumulation of fatigue in the players and the need to rethink the overall training plan with corresponding individual approaches to each soccer player in order to optimize the training-recovery ratio. There was a slight increase (statistically insignificant) in mean VO2max and VO2max/kg during the spring half-season, indicating that training resulted in an increase in aerobic capacity. This is an indication that conditioning training is producing the desired result and can be carried out without any major changes. Conclusions: The benefit of periodic medical and functional examinations of football players is mainly in two directions. First, it provides information about the current state of health of the athlete under study and his fitness to participate in training and sports competitions. And, secondly, it enables the coach, analyzing the results, to assess the specific functional capabilities of the football players, to make changes in the training schedule and specific exercises, to pay attention to recovery and to apply an individual approach to each specific case in order to improve specific indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]