Andersson, HÅ, Randers, MB, Heiner-Møller, A, Krustrup, P, and Mohr, M. Elite female soccer players perform more high-intensity running when playing in international games compared with domestic ...league games. J Strength Cond Res 24(4)912-919, 2010-The purpose of this study was to compare movement pattern, fatigue development, and heart rate (HR) for top-class elite female players when playing international (INT) vs. domestic league games (DOM). Video-based time-motion analyses and HR recordings were performed on 17 players during INT and DOM. The distances covered in high-intensity running (HIR) and sprinting were longer (p < 0.05) in INT compared with DOM. More (p < 0.05) HIR was covered in INT than DOM during first and second half. Additionally, more (p < 0.05) sprinting occurred in INT compared with DOM in the first half. In both game types, the amount of HIR was reduced by 24-27% (p < 0.05) in the last 15-minute period compared with the first four 15-minute periods of the game. The midfielders covered longer (p < 0.05) distances with HIR in INT than in DOM over the entire game and in the most intense 5-minute period of the games, whereas no differences were observed between the game types for defenders. No difference in the HR response was found between INT and DOM. In conclusion, more HIR and sprinting occur in international compared with domestic games, which may affect the fatigue development for players in physically demanding roles. Thus, our results are important to coaches to prepare players to meet the challenges of international soccer games and show that the ability to perform intense intermittent exercise should be trained regularly in elite female players.
We sought to study the physical demands and match performance of women soccer players. Nineteen top-class and 15 high-level players were individually videotaped in competitive matches, and ...time-motion analysis were performed. The players changed locomotor activity >1,300 times in a game corresponding to every ~4 seconds and covered 9-11 km in total. The top-class players ran 28% longer (P < 0.05) at high intensities than high-level players (1.68 ± 0.09 and 1.33 ± 0.10 km, respectively) and sprinted 24% longer (P < 0.05). The top-class group had a decrease (P < 0.05) of 25-57% in high intensity running in the final 15 minutes compared with the first four 15-minutes intervals, whereas the high-level group performed less (P < 0.05) high-intensity running in the last 15 minutes of each half in comparison with the 2 previous 15-minute periods in the respective half. Peak distance covered by high intensity running in a 5-minute interval was 33% longer (P < 0.05) for the top-class players than the high-level players. In the following 5 minutes immediately after the peak interval top-class players covered 17% less (P < 0.05) high-intensity running than the game average. Defenders performed fewer (P < 0.05) intervals of high-intensity running than midfielders and attackers, as well as fewer (P < 0.05) sprints than the attackers. In conclusion, for women soccer players (1) top-class international players perform more intervals of high-intensity running than elite players at a lower level, (2) fatigue develops temporarily during and towards the end of a game, and (3) defenders have lower work rates than midfielders and attackers. The difference in high-intensity running between the 2 levels demonstrates the importance of intense intermittent exercise for match performance in women soccer. Thus, these aspects should be trained intensively in women soccer.
The popularity and professionalism of female soccer has increased markedly in recent years, with elite players now employed on either a professional or semi-professional basis. The previous review of ...the physiological demands of female soccer was undertaken two decades ago when the sport was in its relative infancy. Increased research coupled with greater training and competition demands warrants an updated review to consider the effect on physical performance and injury patterns. The physical demands of match-play along with the influence of factors such as the standard of competition, playing position and fatigue have been explored. Total distance covered for elite female players is approximately 10 km, with 1.7 km completed at high speed (>15 kmh(-1)) corrected.Elite players complete 28% more high-speed running and 24 % more sprinting than moderate-level players. Decrements in high-speed running distance have been reported between and within halves, which may indicate an inability to maintain high-intensity activity. Although the physical capacity of female players is the most thoroughly researched area, comparisons are difficult due to differing protocols. Elite players exhibit maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) values of 49.4-57.6 mL·kg(-1)·min(-1), Yo Yo Intermittent Endurance test level 2 (YYIE2) scores of 1,774 ± 532 m mean ± standard deviation (SD) and 20 m sprint times of 3.17 ± 0.03 s (mean ± SD). Reasons for the increased prevalence of anterior cruciate ligament injuries in females (2-6 times greater than males) are discussed, with anatomical, biomechanical loading and neuromuscular activation differences being cited in the literature. This review presents an in-depth contemporary examination of the applied physiology of the female soccer player.
The aim of the present study was to examine the movement patterns, ball skills, and the impressions of Swedish elite football players during competitive games on artificial turf and natural grass. ...Time - motion analyses (36 observations) and technical analyses (16 team observations) were performed and 72 male and 21 female players completed a questionnaire. No differences were observed between artificial turf and natural grass in terms of total distance covered (mean 10.19 km, s = 0.19 vs. 10.33 km, s = 0.23), high-intensity running (1.86 km, s = 0.10 vs. 1.87 km, s = 0.14), number of sprints (21, s = 1 vs. 22, s = 2), standing tackles (10, s = 1 vs. 11, s = 1) or headers per game (8, s = 1 vs. 8, s = 1), whereas there were fewer sliding tackles (P < 0.05) on artificial turf than natural grass (2.1, s = 0.5 vs. 4.3, s = 0.6). There were more short passes (218, s = 14 vs. 167, s = 12) and midfield-to-midfield passes (148, s = 11 vs. 107, s = 8) (both P < 0.05) on artificial turf than natural grass. On a scale of 0 - 10, where 0 = "better than", 5 = "equal to", and 10 = "worse than", the male players reported a negative overall impression (8.3, s = 0.2), poorer ball control (7.3, s = 0.3), and greater physical effort (7.2, s = 0.2) on artificial turf than natural grass. In conclusion, the running activities and technical standard were similar during games on artificial turf and natural grass. However, fewer sliding tackles and more short passes were performed during games on artificial turf. The observed change in playing style could partly explain the male players' negative impression of artificial turf.
To investigate the time course of recovery from neuromuscular fatigue and some biochemical changes between two female soccer matches separated by an active or passive recovery regime.
Countermovement ...jump (CMJ), sprint performance, maximal isokinetic knee flexion and extension, creatine kinase (CK), urea, uric acid, and perceived muscle soreness were measured in 17 elite female soccer players before, immediately after, 5, 21, 45, 51, and 69 h after a first match, and immediately after a second match. Eight players performed active recovery (submaximal cycling at 60% of HRpeak and low-intensity resistance training at < 50% 1RM) 22 and 46 h after the first match.
In response to the first match, a significant decrease in sprint performance (-3.0 +/- 0.5%), CMJ (-4.4 +/- 0.8%), peak torque in knee extension (-7.1 +/- 1.9%) and flexion (-9.4 +/- 1.8%), and an increase in CK (+ 152 +/- 28%), urea (15 +/- 2), uric acid (+ 11 +/- 2%), and muscle soreness occurred. Sprint ability was first to return to baseline (5 h) followed by urea and uric acid (21 h), isokinetic knee extension (27 h) and flexion (51 h), CK, and muscle soreness (69 h), whereas CMJ was still reduced at the beginning of the second match. There were no significant differences in the recovery pattern between the active and passive recovery groups. The magnitude of the neuromuscular and biochemical changes after the second match was similar to that observed after the first match.
The present study reveals differences in the recovery pattern of the various neuromuscular and biochemical parameters in response to a female soccer match. The active recovery had no effects on the recovery pattern of the four neuromuscular and three biochemical parameters.
I Sverige har föräldrar möjlighet att bestämma över sina barns vistelse innan skolstart, vilken kan bestå av förskola, pedagogisk omsorg eller i hemmet. Dock är det endast förskolan som har fått en ...skolförberedande roll gällande barns språk- och kunskapsutveckling. Det är problematiskt eftersom forskning visar på vikten av tidig identifiering och stöttning angående barn som befinner sig i språklig sårbarhet. I denna studie används longitudinella data från sex elever födda 2003 till och med årskurs 6 i en kommun i Sverige vilka tidigt identifierats vara i behov av specialpedagogiskt stöd gällande deras språkutveckling. Syftet med studien är att få en fördjupad bild av identifieringen och det specialpedagogiska stödet för dessa barn i språklig utsatthet. Dessutom är syftet också att jämföra det specialpedagogiska stödet med barnens resultat i svenskämnet till årskurs 6. Empirin består av två dokument; intervju med de två specialpedagoger som är involverade med barnen före skolstart, mejlkorrespondens med en specialpedagog som har det övergripande ansvaret i kommunen, en av rektorerna från skolorna samt resultat från nationella prov i årskurs 3 och årskurs 6 i svenska och betyg i svenska i årskurs 6. Resultaten indikerar betydelsen av tidiga specialpedagogiska insatser i förskolan för en framgångsrik skolgång. ENGLISH ABSTRACT The Importance of Early Special Education Support in Preschool for Successful Schooling In Sweden, parents decide if children attend preschool or stay home before formal schooling. This choice impacts language development because it is only preschools, unlike other early care, that have a curriculum focused on language. This is problematic since some children during these years exhibit what is termed “linguistic vulnerability,” i.e., a gap between their language skills and environmental demands. This can affect various aspects of the children’s lives, including their participation in play, desire to learn, development of behavior problems, and future literacy skills. Some preschool teachers feel unprepared to handle linguistic vulnerabilities. Special needs educators, therefore, become important in identifying and supporting these children. Yet research on special education in preschool is limited. Our longitudinal study followed six children born in 2003 who identified as needing special educational support in language development, and they were observed until their sixth year of school. The primary goal of the study was to gain a comprehensive understanding of how children with linguistic vulnerabilities are identified and supported and to assess the effectiveness of such support by comparing it with the children’s academic results in Swedish language studies up to year six. Data included test results, grades, records of special education efforts, interviews with two special educators in preschool, and email correspondence with a special educator and a principal from the schools involved. Our findings emphasize early special education’s importance in preschool, highlighting the role of diverse semiotic resources in supporting children with linguistic vulnerabilities.
VWF and ADAMTS13 are major determinants of platelet adhesion after vessel injury. In the present study, we aimed to determine whether VWF or ADAMTS13 plasma antigen levels influence the risks of ...ischemic stroke (IS) or myocardial infarction (MI) in young women and how these risks are affected by oral contraceptive (OC) use. VWF and ADAMTS13 plasma antigen levels were measured in a frequency-matched case-control study of 1018 young (18-49 years) women including 175 IS patients and 205 MI patients. Increasing levels of VWF and decreasing levels of ADAMTS13 were associated with the risk of IS and MI in a dose-dependent manner. Having both high VWF and low ADAMTS13 resulted in an odds ratio (OR) of 6.9 (95% confidence interval 95% CI, 2.0-23.0) for IS and 11.3 (95% CI, 3.6-35.2) for MI. Use of OCs increased the risk of IS and MI associated with high VWF (OR = 12; 95% CI, 5.5-26.2 and OR = 7.5, 95% CI, 3.6-15.7, respectively) and the risk of IS associated with low ADAMTS13 (OR = 5.8, 95% CI, 2.7-12.4). We conclude that high VWF and low ADAMTS13 plasma levels both increase the risk of IS and MI. The risks associated with high VWF or low ADAMTS13 levels are further increased by the use of OCs.
Transport of phosphorus (P) from agricultural fields to water bodies deteriorates water quality and causes eutrophication. To reduce P losses and optimize P use efficiency by crops, better knowledge ...is needed of P turnover in soil and the efficiency of best management practices (BMPs). In this review, we examined these issues using results from 10 Swedish long‐term soil fertility trials and various studies on subsurface losses of P. The fertility trials are more than 50 years old and consist of two cropping systems with farmyard manure and mineral fertilizer. One major finding was that replacement of P removed by crops with fertilizer P was not sufficient to maintain soil P concentrations, determined with acid ammonium lactate extraction. The BMPs for reducing P leaching losses reviewed here included catch crops, constructed wetlands, structure liming of clay soils, and various manure application strategies. None of the eight catch crops tested reduced P leaching significantly, whereas total P loads were reduced by 36% by wetland installation, by 39 to 55% by structure liming (tested at two sites), and by 50% by incorporation of pig slurry into a clay soil instead of surface application. Trend analysis of P monitoring data since the 1980s for a number of small Swedish catchments in which various BMPs have been implemented showed no clear pattern, and both upward and downward trends were observed. However, other factors, such as weather conditions and soil type, have profound effects on P losses, which can mask the effects of BMPs.
This study analyzed the impact of performing four consecutive football matches separated by 48‐72 hours during a FIFA tournament on physical load, technical performance and plasma markers of redox ...state, muscle damage and inflammation in elite female players. Forty‐eight players from three national teams were evaluated at seven time points: before (baseline) and throughout the tournament (after each match and before two training sessions). Only data from players who played all matches were included in the analyses (N = 13). The players were divided into high‐rank (N = 6) and low‐rank (N = 7) team players according to FIFA standards. Plasma creatine kinase (CK), C‐reactive protein (CRP), total antioxidant status (TAS), and uric acid (UA) were analyzed at the selected time points. Technical performance and physical load were also quantified according to team rank. Players from low‐rank teams played significantly more time than high‐rank players (85 ± 10 vs 67 ± 15 minutes; P = .02; d = 1.51). Low‐rank team players presented higher values in technical performance actions than the high‐rank team players, but most of the differences were explained by the longer match time played. UA content differed across the matches, increasing from baseline (F(4,40) = 3.90; P = .01) and more in the high‐rank team players (F(1,10) = 20.46; P = .001), while CRP only differed across the matches (F(4,36) = 2.66; P = .05), also increasing from baseline. A large time effect was shown for UA only in the high‐rank players (η2p = 0.50; P = .02). Four consecutive matches did not result in considerable alterations in plasma stress markers, physical load, and technical performance in elite female football players from distinct rank levels.
We study the developmental and professional activities engaged in by 86 female adult soccer players from the senior national teams of Australia, Canada, England, Sweden, and the United States of ...America. Players completed the Participation History Questionnaire (PHQ) to elicit the amount and type of activities engaged in across their developmental and professional years, including milestones, soccer-specific activity and engagement in other sport activity. Greater specialisation than diversification characterised their childhood developmental activities, including all players starting in soccer in childhood and accumulating more hours in soccer activity than other sports during this period. However, interindividual variation further characterised these childhood activities, with a proportion of players diversifying into other sports and/or soccer play to a greater or lesser degree during childhood when compared to the other players. The amount of coach-led soccer practice increased for all players across their development culminating in an average of 15-16 h/wk across a 40-week season in early adulthood. In contrast, the amount of engagement in other sports and soccer peer-led play varied between players but generally decreased across adolescence to negligible amounts in late adolescence. Findings are commensurate with the deliberate practice framework and early engagement.
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