Buchheit, M., Lazar, Z., Sinko, B., Kolozs, B., Echevarne, A., Guerra, J., Krotki, P., & Eriksrud, O. (2024)
Pressing is a key strategy in modern football, crucial for disrupting opponent play and regaining possession, which significantly impacts team performance. Effective pressing not only hampers the opponent’s ability to maintain control, but also enhances a team’s offensive opportunities by forcing errors in high-leverage areas. However, the intensity and physical demands of pressing also increase the risk of injuries. A study by Rekik (2023) highlights that pressing is the mostcommon scenario preceding ACL injuries, occurring in 40% of the cases studied. This finding underscores the need for detailed assessments and specific training in pressing actions to mitigate injury risks while optimizing its effectiveness.Some current deceleration tests and training practices often focus on linear stops (Graham Smith 2018, Harper 2023)which fail to capture the more complex maneuvers of actual gameplay where players must frequently press, turn, and re-accelerate to get back into position. This limitation highlights the need for deceleration tests and training practices that include a change of direction following the breaking phase, which are more reflective of real match situations. Enhancing the realism and ecological validity of test and training practices, we wanted to examine variations of the 5-0-5 change of direction test, since such tests may better simulate game-like conditions than tests focusing on linear stops.Recent research, such as Eriksrud’s 2024 study, suggests that extending the approach distances in variations of the 5-0-5 test, like the 10-0-5 and 15-0-5, results in higher peakspeeds (15.8, 21.2, and 24.5 km/h for 5-0-5, 10-0-5 and 15-0-5, respectively) with increased deceleration demands. These findings make the 15-0-5 an ideal choice for our assessment and training routines, as it may more accurately mimic the dynamic requirements of pressing actions in football by capturing the essential ability to decelerate following high-speedruns, change direction, and re-accelerate again — all of which being key tactical maneuvers in competitive play. Aim:This study compares the locomotor patterns recorded during the 15-0-5 change of direction test with those observed during actual match-pressing actions. This structured approach allows us to assess the protocol’s capacity to replicate the physical demands of match-like pressing scenarios effectively, which would indirectly justify its‘ use for both testing and training purposes. Conclusion: The present findings suggest that the 15-0-5 test effectively mirrors the average peak speed demands of football pressing actions in matches (25.4 km/h), validating its use as both a screening and training tool in football.