The Effect of Maturation on Relationships between Maximum Match Speed and Speed Testing in Youth Soccer Players

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the relationship of maximum speed performance during the football match with the 30m and 10m speed tests.

Methodology: The sample was of 175 male soccer players divided in three maturational groups referring to the classification of the Pico of the speed of growth: 42 were Pre-PVC; 57 Mid-PVC and 76 Post-PVC. The measurement procedures were the analysis of the maximum speed obtained during a football game (VmaxP), and the 30 and 10 meter displacement speed test in a field test (V30m and V10m).

Results: The multivariate analysis revealed that the majority of the changes of the maximum speed obtained during a game within the Pre-PVC and Post-PVC, can be explained by the relative combination of the speed of 30m and relative to the speed of 10m (76.67% and 89.67% of the total variance, respectively). Regarding the Mid-PVC, R² = 59.67 (p <0.041) was found.

Conclusion: The maximum speed obtained during a football match was affected with different determinations of predictions in the mature process, indicated by the strong association of the physical test speeds in the relative combination of V30m and relative to V10m within the Post group -PVC, moderately strong for the Pre-PVC, however for the Mid-PVC a moderate explanation was found.