Monitoring of power abilities in young football players

Abstract

Aim is to assess power abilities in young football players, improve individual strength training program taking into account various indicators obtained from Wingate test and quality of its performance. Material and Methods. The Wingate test results in young football players of 11-12 are under consideration. Among them there are Wingate peak power, power at the 15th and 30th seconds, anaerobic capacity, and their changes during a year. The correlation relationship between Wingate test results and other strength and power characteristics obtained from laboratory and field tests are shown. Results. Test results in 11 years old football players were Wingate peak (279.68 ± 52.65 W), Wingate peak (7.36 ± 1.03 W·kg-1), Wingate mean (6.48 ± 0.78 W·kg-1), and Wingate fatigue rate (34.36 ± 15.25 %). Strong correlations existed between Wingate peak and maximal Load in stress-test with gas analysis (r = 0.72), 10 jumping steps (r = 0.72), between Wingate power at the 15th second, power at the 30th second, Wingate mean power and maximal Load in stress-test with gas analysis (r = 0.80, r = 0.77, r = 0.71, respectively). These results provide coaches with preliminary norms for 11-12 years old football players and can be used to adjust programs for their athletes. Conclusion. Wingate test enables to assess the level of anaerobic power and capability of football players starting from the age of 11-12 years. The comparison of Wingate test data in different periods of the year macrocycle allows determination of trends in power development in young football players. The analysis of athlete's individual features based on Wingate test results reveals personal strengths and weaknesses for further individualization and/or correction of the training process.