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The Development of a Test of Repeated-Sprint Ability for Elite Women's

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Article  in  The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research · April 2010

DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181d1568c · Source: PubMed

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THE DEVELOPMENT OF A TEST OF REPEATED-SPRINT
ABILITY FOR ELITE WOMEN’S SOCCER PLAYERS
TIM J. GABBETT
Brisbane Broncos Rugby League Club, Queensland, Australia
ABSTRACT
Gabbett, TJ. The development of a test of repeated-sprint ability
for elite women’s soccer players. J Strength Cond Res 24(5):
1191–1194, 2010—The purpose of this study was to develop
a game-specific test of repeated-sprint ability for elite women’s
soccer players. Nineteen elite women’s soccer players (mean 6
SD; age, 18.1 6 2.9 y) participated in this study. After
familiarization, players completed a repeated-sprint test con-
sisting of 6 3 20-m maximal effort sprints, on a 15-second
cycle. At the completion of each sprint, players performed a
10-m deceleration and a 10-m active jog recovery. Ten elite
female soccer players performed the test on 2 occasions,
1 week apart, to determine the reliability of the test. In addition,
the validity of the repeated-sprint test to discriminate among
players of different playing ability was evaluated by testing
national (n = 11) and state (n = 8) women’s soccer players.
Heart rate and blood lactate concentration were recorded to
determine the physiological responses to the test. The total
sprint time proved to be highly reproducible (intraclass
correlation coefficient = 0.91; typical error of measurement =
1.5%). However, the percentage decrement was less reliable
(intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.14, typical error of measure-
ment = 19.5%). The repeated-sprint test was valid in discrimi-
nating between national- and state-level players, with national
players having significantly lower (p , 0.01) total repeated-
sprint times than state players (20.9 6 0.5 s vs. 23.3 6 0.4 s).
The mean (6SD) heart rate and blood lactate concentration
were 182 6 6 beats/min and 9.3 6 2.0 mmol/L, respectively.
The results of this study demonstrate that the developed
repeated-sprint test discriminates players of higher and lesser
Address correspondence to Dr. Tim J. Gabbett, timg@broncos.com.au.
24(5)/1191–1194
Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research
Ó 2010 National Strength and Conditioning Association
skill levels and offers a reliable method of assessing repeated-
sprint ability in elite women’s soccer players when results are
expressed as the total sprint time.
KEY WORDS physiological demands, movement patterns, team
sports, field sports, sprinting, football
INTRODUCTION
R
epeated-sprint ability is widely accepted as
a critical component of high-intensity intermittent
sports (e.g., soccer). In soccer competition it has
been shown that periods of fatigue follow the most
intense bouts of high-intensity running (5). In addition,
repeated-sprint bouts are reported to occur immediately
before a goal is scored or conceded, lending credence to the
suggestion that the ability or inability to perform repeated
sprints may prove critical to the outcome of the match (10).
The repeated-sprint ability of team sport athletes has been
investigated using a wide range of testing protocols (1,7,11).
Although several repeated-sprint tests have been proposed
for soccer (6,12), a major limitation of these tests is that none
adequately assess the repeated-sprint demands of competi-
tion in a game-specific manner. Of the repeated-sprint
protocols that have been developed for soccer, protocols
have either been too strenuous (8,12) or have been based on
the overall exercise to rest ratios of competition (1:7 to 1:14)
and have failed to take into account the most extreme,
repeated-sprint demands of the sport (6). With this in mind,
the purpose of this study was to develop a game-specific test
of repeated-sprint ability for elite women’s soccer players that
allowed assessment of the most extreme repeated-sprint
demands of the sport.
METHODS
Experimental Approach to the Problem
This project was completed in 2 phases. First, the repeated-
sprint demands of international women’s soccer competition
were investigated using time-motion analysis (3). Based on
the results of the time-motion analysis, a game-specific
repeated-sprint test was developed to reflect the most
extreme demands of competition in terms of number of
sprints, duration of sprints, and recovery between sprints.
The test-retest reliability of the test was determined and
VOLUME 24 | NUMBER 5 | MAY 2010 | 1191
Repeated-Sprint Testing in Women’s Soccer
Figure 1. Repeated-sprint test.
validity was established by comparing repeated-sprint results
between national- and state-level women’s soccer players.
Subjects
Nineteen elite women’s soccer players (mean 6 SD; age,
18.1 6 2.9 y) participated in this study. Athletes were
scholarship holders within the Queensland Academy of
Sport women’s soccer program and members of either the
Australian Matildas women’s soccer team (n = 11) or
Queensland Sting women’s soccer team (n = 8). All partici-
pants received a clear explanation of the study, including
the risks and benefits of participation, and written consent
was obtained. The Institutional Review Board for Human
Investigation approved all experimental procedures.
Test Development
The results of the time-motion analysis have been presented
previously (3). In brief, the maximum number of sprints
within a repeated-sprint bout was 6. The mean sprint
duration was 2.1 seconds, whereas the mean maximal sprint
duration was 2.9 seconds. The mean recovery time between
sprints was 5.8 seconds (giving an exercise-to-rest ratio of
1:3), with the majority (92.6%) of recovery time between
sprints being active in nature (3). Based on the results of
the time-motion analysis, the developed test consisted of
6 3 20-m maximal effort sprints on a 15-second cycle. At
the completion of each sprint, players performed a 10-m
TABLE 1. Test-retest reliability of the repeated-sprint test.
Test 1 Test 2 ICC
Total time (s) 21.5 6 1.2 21.7 6 1.0 0.91
Decrement (%) 5.6 6 1.6 4.5 6 1.7 0.14
ICC = intraclass correlation coefficient; TE = typical error of measurement.
Data are mean 6 SD.
the TM
1192 Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research
deceleration and a 10-m active jog recovery (Figure 1). The
developed test was based on a similar test used for field
hockey (11).
Reliability and Validity
Following familiarization, 10 elite female soccer players
performed the test on 2 occasions, 1 week apart, to determine
the reliability of the test. In addition, the validity of the
repeated-sprint test to discriminate among players of different
playing ability was evaluated by testing national (n = 11) and
state (n = 8) women’s soccer players. The test was considered
to offer a valid assessment of repeated-sprint ability if
performance criteria in the test improved with increases in
playing level.
Physiological Responses
Heart rate and blood lactate concentration were recorded to
determine the physiological responses to the test. Heart rate
was recorded using Polar S610i heart rate monitors (Polar
USA, Lake Success, NY, USA). Once the raw data were
collected, it was downloaded to a computer using Polar
Precision Performance software (Polar USA). Blood lactate
was measured from the earlobe before exercise and at the
completion of the repeated-sprint protocol using a Lactate
Pro portable lactate analyzer (Arkray Inc., Kyoto, Japan).
Statistical Analyses
The test-retest reliability of the repeated-sprint test was
evaluated using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and
the typical error of measurement (TE) (4). Differences
between playing levels were evaluated using an independent
t-test. Pearson product moment correlation coefficients were
used to determine the relationship between 10-m and 20-m
sprint times on the first trial of the repeated-sprint test and
total repeated sprint time. The level of significance was set at
p # 0.05, and all data are reported as means 6 SD.
RESULTS
Reliability, Validity, and Physiological Responses
The total sprint time proved to be highly reproducible (ICC =
0.91; TE = 1.5%). However, the percentage decrement was
less reliable (ICC = 0.14, TE = 19.5%) (Table 1). The
repeated-sprint test was valid in discriminating between
national- and state-level players (Table 2). Although the total
time during the repeated-sprint
test was significantly faster (p ,
0.05) in the national team players
(20.9 6 0.5 s vs. 23.3 6 0.4 s), no
significant differences (p . 0.05)
TE (absolute) TE (%)
existed between national (6.2 6
0.3 1.5 1.6%) and state (6.8 6 2.7%)
0.4 19.5 players for percentage decre-
ment. The mean (6 SD) heart
rate and blood lactate concentra-
tion were 182 6 6 beats/min and
9.3 6 2.0 mmol/L, respectively.

TABLE 2. Repeated-sprint results of national and
state women’s soccer players.
National State p-value
Initial 20-m time (s) 3.3 6 0.1 3.6 6 0.1 0.01
Total time (s) 20.9 6 0.5 23.3 6 0.4 0.01
Decrement (%) 6.2 6 1.6 6.8 6 2.7 0.49
Data are mean 6 SD.
Relationship Between Speed and Repeated-Sprint Ability
A significant relationship (r = 0.96, p , 0.001) was found
between 20-m sprint time on the first trial of the repeated-
sprint test and total repeated sprint time. The relationship
between 10-m sprint time and total repeated sprint time was
not significant (r = 0.02, p . 0.05).
DISCUSSION
The purpose of this study was to develop a game-specific test
of repeated-sprint ability for elite women’s soccer players. The
test involved maximal effort accelerations, decelerations, and
active recovery that reflected the most extreme demands of
international competition. The results of this study demon-
strate that the developed repeated-sprint test offers a valid and
reliable method of assessing repeated-sprint ability in elite
women’s soccer players.
The validity of the repeated-sprint test was assessed by
evaluating the performances of 2 high-performance female
soccer squads; a national team, and a state team preparing for
eventual inclusion on the national team. The results of this
evaluation, coupled with the detailed time-motion analysis of
international competition, establish the validity of this test as
a useful physiological monitoring tool for women’s soccer
players.
The relatively low typical error of measurement for
absolute repeated-sprint time suggests good sensitivity of
this test for tracking training-induced changes in perfor-
mance. However, the poor test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.14,
TE = 19.5%) for percentage decrement suggests that,
although total time during the repeated-sprint test was highly
reproducible, the percentage decrement or (fatigue index) is
less reliable. Therefore, larger relative changes in percentage
decrement would be required to be confident that a real
change had occurred in the performance of the athlete (10).
Given that the total time was a more reliable indicator than
percentage decrement, the major measure of performance
should be the total sprint time.
The present study found a significant relationship (r =
0.96) between 20-m sprint time on the first trial of the
the TM
Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research | www.nsca-jscr.org
repeated-sprint test and total repeated-sprint time. Although
clearly 20-m sprint tests and repeated-sprint protocols are
assessing distinct qualities, these results demonstrate that
repeated-sprint ability is heavily influenced by the absolute
speed of players. Recent studies have demonstrated that
repeated-sprint ability is correlated with 20-m sprint times
but not maximal aerobic power (2,7). However, others
have shown that, although the influence of maximal aerobic
power on repeated-sprint ability is minimal, subjects with
moderate maximal aerobic power have a smaller decrement
in repeated-sprint performance than subjects with a low
maximal aerobic power (1). Given that repeated-sprint ability
is likely to be influenced (at least in part) by both speed and
maximal aerobic power, the repeated-sprint test should be
conducted in combination with traditional speed (e.g., 40-m
sprint with splits at 10-m intervals) and maximal aerobic
power (e.g., multistage fitness test) tests.
In conclusion, this study developed a game-specific test of
repeated-sprint ability for elite women’s soccer players. The
test involved maximal effort accelerations, decelerations, and
active recovery that reflected the most extreme demands of
international competition. The results of this study demon-
strate that the developed repeated-sprint test offers a valid and
reliable method of assessing repeated-sprint ability in elite
women’s soccer players.
PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
The number of high-intensity repeated-sprint bouts per-
formed during a match is a major factor that discriminates
international competition from national- and domestic-level
competition (3). The development of a valid and reliable
repeated-sprint test that simulates the most extreme
demands of international competition allows coaches to
monitor training adaptations in this physical quality.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This study was completed when the author was employed at
the Queensland Academy of Sport. The author would like to
thank Mr. Mike Mulvey and the participants for their support
of this study.
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3. Gabbett, TJ and Mulvey, MJ. Time-motion analysis of small-sided
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J Strength Cond Res 22: 543–552, 2008.
4. Hopkins, WG. Measures of reliability in sports medicine and science.
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