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Validity of a repeated-sprint ability test in young soccer players

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ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Validity of a repeated-sprint ability test in young

soccer players
Caractère prédictif de l’aptitude à répéter les sprints sur les
performances physiques de jeunes joueurs de football

J.C. Barbero-Álvarez a,∗, R.E. Pedro b, F.Y. Nakamura b

a
Facultad de Educación de Melilla, Universidad de Granada, Carretera Alfonso XIII s/n., 52005 Melilla, Spain
b
Departamento de Educação Física, Centro de Educação Física e Esporte, Universidade Estadual de Londrina. Rodovia Celso
Garcia Cid, km 380, Campus Universitário, CEP, 86051-990 Londrina, PR, Brazil

Received 3 March 2012; accepted 7 December 2012

KEYWORDS Summary
Time-motion analysis; Objective. — This study examined the direct validity of a repeated-sprint ability test (RSAT) in
High-intensity predicting match high-intensity running in young soccer players (n = 15, 14 years).
activity; Methods. — Players’ RSAT performance (7 × 30 m with < 24 s passive recovery) was assessed 24 h
Youth soccer; before a competitive match and performance compared with high-intensity activity during a
Sports physiology; match. Match performance was tracked with GPS technology and heart rate (HR) recorded with
Field testing short-range telemetry.
Results. — During the first half, players covered 3526 ± 527 m of which 14.9 ± 4.5% was per-
formed at speed faster than 13 km/h (HIA). The RSA variables were significantly correlated
with HIA, match HR and peak speed (r from 0.59 to 0.82, P < 0.05).
Conclusion. — This study’s findings showed that RSAT was significantly related to match physical
and physiological demands in youth soccer. These results support the direct validity of RSAT in
predicting match high-intensity running in young soccer players.
© 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Résumé
MOTS CLÉS Objectif. — Le but de cette étude était d’évaluer le caractère prédictif de l’aptitude à répéter
Football ; les sprints (RSAT) sur les performances physiques en match de jeunes joueurs de football U15
Analyse (n = 15, 14 ans).
cinématique ; Méthode. — La performance au RSAT (7 × 30 m séparée par 24 s de récupération passive) a été
Aptitudes physiques ; évaluée 24 heures avant un match officiel. Au cours de cette compétition, les données cinéma-
Évaluation indirecte ; tiques de pic de vitesse, de déplacements à haute intensité (vitesse supérieure à 13,0 km/h,
Adolescents c.-à-d. HIA) et de fréquence cardiaque (FC) ont été enregistrées à l’aide de GPS et par
télémétrie.
∗ Corresponding author.
E-mail address: jbarbero@gpsportspain.es (J.C. Barbero-Álvarez).
0765-1597/$ – see front matter © 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scispo.2012.12.003

Please cite this article in press as: Barbero-Álvarez JC, et al. Validity of a repeated-sprint ability test in young soccer
players. Sci sports (2013), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scispo.2012.12.003
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2 J.C. Barbero-Álvarez et al.

Résultats Pendant la première mi-temps, les joueurs ont parcouru 3526 ± 527 m dont
14,9 ± 4,5 % à des vitesses supérieures à 13 km/h. Des relations linéaires significatives entre
RSAT et les mesures enregistrées lors du match (pic de vitesse, HIA, valeurs moyennes de FC)
ont été observées (valeurs du coefficient de corrélation comprises entre 0,59 à 0,82 ; p < 0,05).
Conclusion. — Nos résultats ont montré que l’aptitude à répéter les sprints peut être employée
chez le jeune joueur de football U15 afin de prédire ses performances physiques en compétition.
© 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS. Tous droits réservés.

1. Introduction mass: 57.9 ± 3.7 kg) with at least 3 years of experience in

Repeated-sprints ability (RSA) is an essential component of
most team sports that require athletes to produce maximal
or near maximal short sprints interspersed with incom-
plete recovery periods throughout a match [1]. The running
RSA tests encompass a sequence of all-out sprints eliciting
metabolic and cardiorespiratory responses similar to those
occurring during the most demanding periods of matches
[2,3]. The performance indices derived from RSA tests
are significantly associated with key determinants of team
sports performance, such as explosive power, maximal oxy-
gen consumption, oxygen uptake kinetics and muscle buffer
capacity [4—7]. For these reasons, RSA tests have been
widely used to evaluate soccer players.
In professional soccer, the construct validity of RSA test-
ing was evidenced by its capability to discriminate between
playing positions and competitive levels, as well as to
detect seasonal training-induced adaptations [7—9]. The
direct validity was provided in only one study by the sig-
nificant correlations found between mean time recorded in
a protocol composed by 6 × 20 + 20 m shuttle sprints, sepa-
rated by 20 seconds of recovery, and the very high-intensity
(> 19.8 km/h) and sprinting (> 25.2 km/h) distances during a
match [10]. In contrast, Carling et al. [11] did not find such
a correlation.
Despite the suggested relevance of RSA to soccer per-
formance and talent detection and selection, relatively few
studies have addressed the ability to repeat maximal sprints
with short recovery time in young soccer players [12,13].
Furthermore, these studies are mostly descriptive in nature.
In a developmental study, Mujika et al. [12] showed that the
total sprint time during a RSA running test (i.e. 6 × 30 m,
interspersed with 30 s of active recovery) was related to
players’ age (i.e. older players had better performance).
Interestingly, RSA performance improvement was shown to
plateau after 15 years of age. Nevertheless, RSA is thought to
be sensitive to training interventions in this age span [14].
However, to the authors’ knowledge, there are no studies
investigating the direct validity of RSA tests among young
soccer players.
The aim of this study was to determine the direct validity
of a RSA test in predicting match high-intensity running
in young soccer players. Our hypothesis was that RSA test
indices are associated with match high-intensity activities.
2. Methods
2.1. Subjects
Fifteen young soccer players from the same regional soc-
cer team (age: 14.3 ± 1.3 years, height: 1.61 ± 0.10 m, body
soccer training and competitions and taking part in national
championship at the time of the investigation, volunteered
to participate in this study. They finished the competition
in second place. The match reported in this study was con-
tested in the quarter-finals of a highly competitive knockout
tournament (Spanish Youth Soccer National Championship).
Players trained 3 times a week (75 minutes per session)
with a competitive match taking place during the weekend.
A guardian of each player signed a written consent after
being informed both orally and in writing about the experi-
mental procedures and the possible risks and benefits of the
study.
2.2. Procedures
The match (11 vs. 11) was played on a regular size
(95 × 60 m), synthetic-grass soccer pitch in two halves of
35 minutes (official duration for the investigated League),
with 10-minute rest interval. In both halves, the referee
called for 1 minute extra time. Hence, the real duration
of each half was 36 minutes. As most players (n = 12) played
only one half, analysis was performed for each one using
data from 36 min of game. The remaining subjects (n = 3)
were analyzed for the 1st half, to allow for pooling data
for statistics. The second half data was not used to match
playing time of all the players, and also to avoid retain-
ing data under the effect of fatigue caused by the first half
effort.
In this study, the players’ activity profile in high inten-
sity was assessed using GPS technology (SPI Elite; GPSports
Systems, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia).
During the competitive match players wore a GPS device
(mass: 80 g; dimensions: 91 × 45 × 21 mm), placed into a
harness that positioned the device between the player’s
shoulder blades.
High-intensity activity (HIA) during the match was deter-
mined as speed above 13.0 km/h [15].
Each player completed a RSAT consisting of 7 × 30 m
sprints with ∼24 s of passive recovery between sprints (one
sprint each 30 s) [15], 2 days before participation in the
soccer match. All players were instructed to abstain from
arduous exercise and maintain the habitual food and fluid
intake for the 24 h prior to test.
Before the RSAT, the subjects completed a warm-up
involving low-intensity forward, sideways and backward run-
ning, skipping exercises, and acceleration runs according
to Mujika et al. [12], followed by 4-min rest, and were
instructed prior to the test to produce maximal efforts for
each sprint and to avoid ‘‘pacing’’ themselves.
Since it was recently shown that GPS technology enables
valid and reliable RSA performance indices to be obtained,

Please cite this article in press as: Barbero-Álvarez JC, et al. Validity of a repeated-sprint ability test in young soccer
players. Sci sports (2013), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scispo.2012.12.003
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Repeated-sprint ability in soccer 3

during each RSAT, the subjects wore the same GPSports

device as during the match (SPI Elite, GPSports System, Can-
berra, Australia). Criterion performance measures from the
RSAT were the peak speed reached for a 1 s sample period
during a sprint (best sprint — BS), the worst sprint (WS),
which was the lowest peak speed over the 7 × 30 m, and
mean peak speed (PSmean) for seven sprints. Reliability
of RSAT with GPS was established with the same subjects
tested 2 weeks apart. Results showed low CVs and high
ICCs for PSmean (CV = 1.7%; 95% CI = 1.2—2.8%; ICC = 0.93,
95% CI = 0.76—0.98) and BS (CV = 1.2%, 95% CI = 0.9—2.0%;
ICC = 0.97, 95% CI = 0.89—0.99) [16].
Maximal heart rate (HR) was assessed in each player using
the Multistage Fitness Test (MST) [17]. During the game, HR
was expressed in percentage of maximal value (Polar Team
System, Polar Electro Oy, Kempele, Finland).
Figure 1 Individual relationship between repeated sprint
ability test performance (mean peak speed) and match high-
2.3. Statistical analyses intensity activity (HIA).

Results are presented as mean ± SD, and range. Before the players playing the two 35-min halves is consistent with
calculation, variables were tested for normality using the previous reports. For instance, high level under 14 players
Kolmogorov—Smirnoff test. Linear regressions with Pear- investigated by Buchheit et al. [18] covered 7,383 ± 640 m
son’s correlation coefficients were used to establish the in games with the same duration, which is very similar to the
respective relationships between RSAT performance varia- 7,145 ± 685 m reported in the three players who played the
bles and match activities. For all analyses, the level of entire game in our study. It should be noted that the pitch
significance was set at P < 0.05. dimensions in the study of Buchheit et al. [18] were greater
(100 × 70 m) than those in our study (95 × 60 m). The larger
pitch can partly explain the slightly higher distance covered
3. Results
since their players had more space to develop longer high-
intensity run and sprint. Castagna et al. [15] reported in a
During one half of the match, players (n = 15) covered
sample with similar demographic characteristics (14.1 ± 0.2
3526 ± 527 m (2757—4584 m), of which 529 ± 192 m
years) and using the same technology a total distance of
(14.9 ± 4.5%, range 4.8—23.8%) were performed at HIA.
6,204 ± 731 m in international championship games consist-
During the examined half players showed a work rate
ing of two halves of 30-min duration. It means that the
of 95 ± 13 m/min (77—120 m/min) of which 14.0 ± 4.9 m
addition of 10 min of play can add up ∼900 m to the total dis-
(5—24 m) were at high intensity. Total sprinting (18 km/h)
tance covered, which is significant considering that fatigue
distance amounted 120.4 ± 64 m. Only three players played
is prevalent in the last periods of the game [19].
both halves, covering 7145 ± 685 m (6404—7756 m).
The previous study that have investigated the direct
The mean and peak HR during the match were 179.7 ± 6.8
validity of a RSAT in soccer found significant correlations
beats/min (range 169—189 beats/min) and 205.7 ± 5.4
(r = —0.60 and —0.65) between mean shuttle time in the
beats/min (range 195—213 beats/min), corresponding to
RSA test and very high-intensity and sprinting distances
87 ± 2.5% (82.8—91.7%) and 100.5 ± 1.3% of maximal HR,
covered in the match in professional male soccer players
respectively.
Table 1 and Fig. 1 show the RSAT performance and its
relationship with HIA. The RSA performance (PSmean, BS and
WS) was significantly correlated with HIA: r = 0.75 (Fig. 1),
0.77 and 0.70, with match peak speed: r = 0.78, 0.78 and
0.67 and with %HR max: r = —0.64 (Fig. 2), —0.61 and —0.61,
respectively.

4. Discussion

This study is the first to demonstrate the direct validity of

the RSAT in predicting match high-intensity running in young
soccer players. Significant strong correlations between test
performance indices and high-intensity activities performed
during the match (distance, peak speed and %HRmax) were
found, confirming our initial hypothesis.
This study on young soccer players showed a relatively Figure 2 Individual relationship between post-match
high work rate (95.1 ± 13.2 m/min), with peaks of running repeated sprint ability test performance (mean peak speed)
speeds of 22.9 ± 2.9 km/h. The total distance covered by and match average heart rate (%HRmax).

Please cite this article in press as: Barbero-Álvarez JC, et al. Validity of a repeated-sprint ability test in young soccer
players. Sci sports (2013), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scispo.2012.12.003
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4 J.C. Barbero-Álvarez et al.
Table 1 Repeated-sprint ability test performance measures recorded with the GPS device (Mean ± SD and range).
RSA Test PSmean (km/h)
Average ± SD (Range) 23.4 ± 1.4 (20.5—25.0)
[10]. In agreement with Rampinini et al. [10], we have
found significant correlations between PSmean and HIA
(r = 0.75) during the match. Besides this, PSmean was also
significantly associated with peak speed recorded in the
game (r = 0.78), and negatively associated (r = —0.64) with
average %HRmax, indicating that PSmean is related to gen-
eral acceleration and velocity characteristics, favoring a
lower cardiovascular stress if well developed in the young
players. Hence, there seems to be several advantages of
developing PSmean in young soccer players. Future research
might confirm the ‘‘transfer effect’’ of improving PSmean
via training to gains in physical performance during the
game.
Contrary to Rampinini et al. [10], we also observed
significant positive correlations between BS and HIA dis-
tance, and between BS and peak speeds, using prematch
RSAT (r = 0.77 and 0.78). Accordingly, BS was inversely
related to the %HRmax recorded throughout the match
(r = —0.61). Similar results were observed for the WS and
performance during the game, indicating that both indices
reflect the RSA and account for some of variance in the
high-intensity distances and maximal speeds achieved dur-
ing soccer play, as well as in the cardiovascular stress.
It has to be pointed out that poor or non-significant cor-
relations were reported by Buchheit et al. [18] between
RSA indices and match physical performance within each
playing position. This issue deserves further research, with
special attention to playing position and criteria to define
velocity ranges encompassing each locomotor category in
young and adult soccer players while using Global Positioning
System Data Analysis: Velocity Ranges and a New Defini-
tion of Sprinting for Field Sport Athletes (GPS) technology
[20].
Although this study has shown that performance in a RSAT
could predict the physical demand during a single half of a
match, Buchheit et al. [21] have questioned the importance
of RSA assessment as very few repeated-sprint sequences
have been observed during a soccer match. In addition,
the number of repeated-sprint sequences during a match
has been reported to decrease with player age [21] and
therefore may question the need to improve RSA as players
mature.
The association between PSmean and BS with lower car-
diovascular stress during the match can be explained by the
positive effects that explosive power in lower limbs can have
on endurance performance [22], by decreasing contact time
with the ground and increasing running economy [23]. It is
also believed that players with better RSA can deal more
easily with the mechanical load of carrying the body mass
while running in the field because RSA relates with muscular
power characteristics [6] and with aerobic power [4], being
both important to reduce the cardiovascular response at a
given speed.
Please cite this article in press as: Barbero-Álvarez JC, et al. Validity of a repeated-sprint ability test in young soccer
players. Sci sports (2013), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scispo.2012.12.003
BS (km/h) WS (km/h)
24.2 ± 1.5 (21.1—25.6) 23.0 ± 1.5 (20—25.4)
5. Conclusion
In conclusion, the direct validity of the RSA test employed in
this study aimed at young soccer players was demonstrated
by the significant relationships between its performance
indices and the high-intensity activities recorded during the
match.
Disclosure of interest
The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest
concerning this article.
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players. Sci sports (2013), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scispo.2012.12.003
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