Relationship between aerobic fitness and technical performance of semi-professional male soccer players in real play situation

Abstract

Purpose: To analyze whether aerobic fitness is related to technical actions (TA) of semi-professional soccer players in a real game situation. Methods: The sample consisted of 10 semi-professional male soccer athletes who competed in a championship belonging to the São Paulo Soccer Federation. Data collection took place in three stages, as follows: I) measurement of anthropometry and body composition; II) physical test (aerobic power); III) game analysis and TA registration. To establish the objectives of the study, the Wilcoxon tests were used to compare the frequencies of TA; Spearman correlation to analyze the correlation between the maximum oxygen consumption (VO2_max) and TA and Simple Linear Regression to analyze the magnitude of the effect of VO2_max on TA. Results: The correlation analysis allowed us to observe that the VO2_max, the lower the frequency of errors in some TA during the games. It was also evidenced that more than 45% of incorrect TA in games are explained by a low VO2_max and that athletes with higher VO2_max make fewer errors during games when compared to those with lower VO2_max. Conclusion: A direct and conditioning relationship between VO2_max and technical performance of semi-professional soccer players was evidenced, indicating that higher levels of VO2_max act as a possible protective factor against poor technical performance during matches, suggesting physical training programs aimed at the increase of VO2_max, as a good strategy to guarantee the maintenance of a good technical performance of the players during matches.