Validity of Simple Field Tests as Indicators of Match-Related Physical Performance in Top-Level Professional Soccer Players

TLDR

The study aimed to assess whether selected field tests can validly indicate match‑related physical performance in elite soccer players. Eighteen top‑level players completed incremental running, vertical‑jump, and repeated‑sprint tests, while match metrics (total distance, high‑intensity running, very high‑intensity running, sprinting, and top speed) were recorded via ProZone® during official games. Peak speed from the incremental test correlated strongly with total distance, high‑intensity, and very high‑intensity running, RSA mean time correlated negatively with very high‑intensity running and sprinting, and group comparisons confirmed that higher peak speed and faster RSA predict superior match performance, supporting the construct validity of these field tests.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the construct validity of selected field tests as indicators of match-related physical performance. During the competitive season, eighteen professional soccer players (age 26.2 ± 4.5 yrs, mass 80.8 ± 7.8 kg, and height 181.9 ± 3.7 cm) completed an incremental running field test to exhaustion, a vertical-jump and a repeated-sprint ability (RSA) test. Match physical performance was quantified during official matches using a video-computerized, semi-automatic, match analysis image recognition system, (ProZone®, Leeds, UK). The selected measures of match physical performance were: total distance covered (TD), high intensity running (HIR: > 14.4 km · h-1), very high intensity running (VHIR:> 19.8 km · h-1), sprinting (> 25.2 km · h-1) and top running speed. Significant correlations were found between peak speed reached during the incremental field test and TD (r = 0.58, R2 = 0.34; p < 0.05), HIR (r = 0.65, R2 = 0.42; p < 0.01) and VHIR (r = 0.64, R2 = 0.41; p < 0.01). Significant correlations were also found between RSA mean time and VHIR (r = - 0.60, R2 = 0.36; p < 0.01) and sprinting distance (r = - 0.65, R2 = 0.42; p < 0.01). Significant differences were found between the best and worst group as defined by the median split technique for peak speed (TD = 12 011 ± 747 m vs. 10 712 ± 669, HIR = 3192 ± 482 m vs. 2314 ± 347 m, and VHIR = 1014 ± 120 vs. 779 ± 122 m, respectively; p < 0.05) and RSA mean time (VHIR = 974 ± 162 m vs. 819 ± 144 m, and sprinting = 235 ± 56 vs. 164 ± 58 m, respectively; p < 0.05). In conclusion, this study gives empirical support to the construct validity of RSA and incremental running tests as measures of match-related physical performance in top-level professional soccer players.