Eriksrud, O., Westheim, F. (2024)
XXXI Isokinetic Conference
Introduction and purpose: Short accelerations play a crucial role in the performance of both team and individual ball sports. Traditional methods of assessing acceleration often rely on continuous data or split times in linear sprints, overlooking the varied start positions and preceding actions, such as decelerations, inherent in performance environments. This study aims to explore acceleration performance in different tasks, shedding light on the task-specific nature of acceleration in elite youth male soccer players. Conclusions: The findings suggest that acceleration is task-specific, with low shared variance (4 to 47%) between re-acceleration in change of direction tests and acceleration in assisted and resisted sprints. Particularly, the minimal shared variance (4 to 12%) between resisted sprints and re-acceleration underscores the significant impact of preceding deceleration on acceleration performance, given the consistent 3 kg resistance. Coaches and professionals should consider employing diverse tests when assessing acceleration in youth elite soccer players. This recognition of task specificity may enhance training and evaluation strategies in sports performance contexts.
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