The changes in strength, power and associated functional physiological measures in elite women soccer players during a 12 month preparation for a major event

Abstract

The assessment of strength and power and the relationship of these measures to functional variables such as speed and vertical jump ability are understood poorly. This is particularly the case when dealing with a long-term preparation for a major event in a sport such as women's soccer. The results of this research suggest that a number of isoinertial speed strength measures may be sensitive to aspects of a training program and therefore be useful tools for determining the level of development of various underlying neuromuscular capacities. Further results provide a question mark about the role of maximum strength in the development of high velocity functional movements, as increases in maximum strength did not correlate to changes in measures of functional performance. An important finding from this research is the potential role of specific isoinertial speed strength parameters in the detection of neuromuscular fatigue. Time course analysis of the results in this study suggests that the use of these measures to detect fatigue warrants further investigation.

Date of Award	2003
Original language	English
Supervisor	Mark Sayers (Supervisor) & Alan Roberts (Supervisor)