Work

The relationship between the 1200 m shuttle test and 40 m sprint test performance and distances covered in English Premier League matches: A retrospective two season study

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: To identify a relationship between the 1200 m shuttle test and 40 m sprint test performance with distances covered at varying intensities in English Premier League (EPL) matches.A squad (n = 21) of full-time professional 1 st team male football players (age 29.8 ± 3.4 years; height 183.7 ± 5.2 cm; weight 83.7 ± 6.9 kg) participated in this study.League match data from the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons were recorded and analysed via an Optical Tracking System (OTS) (Second Spectrum®, Los Angeles, USA) to report physical match performance data.Average velocity during the 1200 m shuttle test (V1.2ST) was calculated, while Peak sprinting speed (PSS) was estimated using a 40 m maximal sprint.ASR1.2ST was established by subtracting V1.2ST from PSS.The relationship between V1.2ST, 30%ASR1.2ST and distances covered at varying intensities in EPL matches was assessed by a series of independent Linear Mixed Effects (LME) models.Although not statistically significant, for every unit increase in V1.2ST, there was an increase of 1032 m in distance covered, (p = 0.07).A single unit increase in 30%ASR1.2ST is associated with a significant increase of 495 m in high-speed running distance (> 5.5 m • s -1 ) (p = 0.02).While for each unit increase in 30%ASR1.2ST,sprint distance (> 7 m • s -1 ) covered significantly increased by 209 m (p = 0.02).In conclusion, high levels of physical fitness such as V1.2ST and 30%ASR1.2STderived from the 1200 m shuttle and 40 m sprint tests can improve match running performance in elite soccer.Knowledge of this information allows practitioners to tailor training load based on each players individual characteristics, potentially increasing performance.

Source: Biology of Sport

DOI: 10.5114/biolsport.2025.142641