Pre-season aerobic performance of elite Japanese soccer players

OBJECTIVE Laboratory and field tests are useful to examine players’ aerobic capabilities for performance. Most aerobic tests are continuous, whereas, in field sports such as soccer, exercise is intermittent and performance is related to the athletes’ ability to repeatedly perform intense exercise. Therefore, field tests provide specific results and are more valid than laboratory tests for coaches. The aim of the present study was to employee two field tests to determine player position specific aerobic fitness indicators for 31 male elite Japanese soccer players (aged 21-29 y), who were all regular members of the national “A” squad of the Japan Football Association. A secondary aim was to make a comparison with other corresponding level data.CONCLUSION In conclusion, these results may suggest that specific individualised fitness/skill training for the various positions revealed similar outcomes in terms of aerobic fitness levels. More research is necessary to provide fitness test data for elite players to streamline training specifically and elicit higher fitness levels.©Journal of Sports Science and Medicine (2007)