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Rubio, Sergio JimenezAuthorJimenez-Saiz, Sergio LCorresponding AuthorDel Coso, JuanAuthor
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Effects of a 10-week athletic performance program on match performance variables in male professional football players

Publicated to:Frontiers In Sports And Active Living. 6 1496895- - 2025-01-08 6(), DOI: 10.3389/fspor.2024.1496895

Authors: Rubio, Sergio Jimenez; Rodriguez, Jose L Estevez; Galindo, Victor Escamilla; Jimenez-Saiz, Sergio L; Del Coso, Juan

Affiliations

Rey Juan Carlos Univ, Sports Sci Res Studies, Fuenlabrada, Madrid, Spain - Author
Switzerland Natl Team Soccer, Muri Bei Bern, Switzerland - Author
ThermoHuman, Res Dept, Madrid, Spain - Author

Abstract

Introduction The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of an Athletic Performance Program (APP), implemented as a complement to the usual training routines of a professional football team, on match performance variables in professional football players. The APP was designed to target mobility, stability, strength, multidirectional and sprint skills, which are critical for performance during competitive matches. Methods A prospective quasi-experimental study was conducted over three consecutive seasons. Fifty-four professional football players were randomly allocated into a control group (CG, n = 25) and an experimental group (EG, n = 29). During the in-season period, both groups followed the standard training routines prescribed by the coaching staff. Additionally, the CG performed a general supplementary physical fitness program five times per week, while the EG undertook the APP with the same frequency. The APP included indoor track sessions and micro-doses of on-field stimuli, focusing on specific performance attributes. The interventions lasted 10 weeks. Performance metrics were assessed pre- and post-intervention using GPS to measure match-related variables (total running distance, sprint distance, number of sprints, and peak running speed) and countermovement jump tests to evaluate vertical jumping ability. A two-way ANOVA (2 x 2; group and time) was employed to analyze the effects of the interventions and their interaction. Results Significant group x time interaction effects were observed for total running distance (F = 51.853, P < 0.001), sprint distance (F = 197.610, P < 0.001), number of sprints (F = 86.923, P < 0.001), and peak running speed (F = 81.351, P < 0.001) during matches. Post-hoc pairwise comparisons revealed that only the EG showed improvements across all performance variables: total running distance (117.5 +/- 5.20 to 123.1 +/- 3.5 m/min, P < 0.001), sprint distance (6.45 +/- 1.43 to 8.35 +/- 1.22 m/min, P < 0.001), number of sprints (0.14 +/- 0.03 to 0.16 +/- 0.03 sprint/min, P < 0.001), and peak running speed (31.1 +/- 1.3 to 32.1 +/- 1.0 km/h, P < 0.001). Conversely, the CG exhibited significant declines in these metrics post-intervention (P < 0.001). Discussion The findings demonstrate that integrating a 10-week multicomponent Athletic Performance Program into traditional training routines is effective in enhancing match performance variables, particularly in high-intensity actions such as sprints and running speed. The APP's focus on mobility, stability, strength, and sprint-specific skills likely contributed to these improvements, highlighting the importance of targeted supplementary training for optimizing athletic performance in professional football players. The observed decline in the CG emphasizes the need for specialized interventions to maintain and improve performance during the season.

Keywords
ConditioningElite athleteMale soccer playersMobilityPerformancPerformancePeriodizationPhysical performanceSoccerStabilityStrengt

Quality index

Bibliometric impact. Analysis of the contribution and dissemination channel

The work has been published in the journal Frontiers In Sports And Active Living due to its progression and the good impact it has achieved in recent years, according to the agency Scopus (SJR), it has become a reference in its field. In the year of publication of the work, 2025, it was in position , thus managing to position itself as a Q1 (Primer Cuartil), in the category Anthropology.

Impact and social visibility

From the perspective of influence or social adoption, and based on metrics associated with mentions and interactions provided by agencies specializing in calculating the so-called "Alternative or Social Metrics," we can highlight as of 2025-05-13:

  • The use, from an academic perspective evidenced by the Altmetric agency indicator referring to aggregations made by the personal bibliographic manager Mendeley, gives us a total of: 8.
  • The use of this contribution in bookmarks, code forks, additions to favorite lists for recurrent reading, as well as general views, indicates that someone is using the publication as a basis for their current work. This may be a notable indicator of future more formal and academic citations. This claim is supported by the result of the "Capture" indicator, which yields a total of: 5 (PlumX).

With a more dissemination-oriented intent and targeting more general audiences, we can observe other more global scores such as:

  • The Total Score from Altmetric: 5.65.
  • The number of mentions on the social network X (formerly Twitter): 8 (Altmetric).

It is essential to present evidence supporting full alignment with institutional principles and guidelines on Open Science and the Conservation and Dissemination of Intellectual Heritage. A clear example of this is:

  • The work has been submitted to a journal whose editorial policy allows open Open Access publication.
Leadership analysis of institutional authors

This work has been carried out with international collaboration, specifically with researchers from: Switzerland.

There is a significant leadership presence as some of the institution’s authors appear as the first or last signer, detailed as follows: First Author (Jiménez Rubio, Sergio) and Last Author (Coso Garrigos, Juan del).

the author responsible for correspondence tasks has been Jiménez Sáiz, Sergio Lorenzo.