The study of acceleration and deceleration capacity decrease in repeated sprints in soccer

The Updated studies published show that among most important capacities in soccer performance are acceleration and deceleration. Hence, these two capacities determine an athlete’s efficiency in many match components such as dribbling, “1 vs. 1”, etc. The purpose of this study was to analyse acceleration and deceleration capacity through innovative technology such as GPS receivers, able to analyse this capacity during a whole exercise session, and to give researchers the possibility to study the trend through the use of a software (Prozone Kinetics, ProZone®). Ecarried out by the Urbino University Carlo Bo/School of Health and Sport Science and K-Sport Research Group, led by Riccaro Izzo and Mirko Marcolini, the research aimed at studying the correlation between fatigue and the ability to accelerate and decelerate. In the bibliography, the most used test to evaluate acceleration and deceleration capacity was the “Capanna Test”. GPS receivers were used to analyse this test and the result found was not satisfactory as the decrease trend was not clear enough to be able to detect the effects of fatigue. The test parameters were then modified to find the best way to reach the aim of the research. The final test was 6 repetitions of 5mt (5+5+5+5+5+5mt) interspersed with 20 seconds passive recovery; after each 5mt the athletes were required to break suddenly. In conclusion, the research showed that this test is an efficient means of analysis of acceleration ability but it needs further development as far as deceleration is concerned. Furthermore, this study showed that GPS technology is to date one of the most accurate methods in acceleration and deceleration studies.