Soccer Impact on the Physiological Profile of Beginners

The study examined the longitudinal impact of soccer training on the physiological profile of soccer beginners. Anthropometrical (e.g. body mass index, body fat) and physiological characteristics (e.g. speed, agility, vertical jump, VO2max) were measured at the beginning, middle and end of the season. Seventeen soccer beginners aged from 10 to 15 years old (12.41 ± 1.734) participated in the study. They all had less than one year of soccer training experience. The results confirmed the impact of soccer training on anthropometrical and physiological variables of the beginners. The peak performance of some variables such as speed, agility and VO2max achieved in the middle of the season that training sessions were combined with soccer games. Therefore it is of great importance for youngsters to participate to a soccer team with regular training sessions and games so as to improve their physiological as well as their health profiles.