Application of the Copenhagen Soccer Test in high-level women players – locomotor activities, physiological response and sprint performance

Application of the Copenhagen Soccer Test inhigh-level women players – locomotor activities,physiological response and sprint performance

Mads Bendiksen a, Svein Arne Pettersen b, Jørgen Ingebrigtsen c,Morten B. Randers a, João Brito d, Magni Mohr e,f, Jens Bangsbo a,Peter Krustrup a,e,!a Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, Center for Team Sports and Health, University of Copenhagen, Denmarkb The Regional Center for Sport, Exercise and Health-North, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Tromsoe, Tromsoe, Norwayc Department of Sports, Center of Practical Knowledge, University of Nordland, Bodø, Norwayd Centre of Research, Education, Innovation and Intervention in Sport, Faculty of Sport, University of Porto, Porto, Portugale Sport and Health Sciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, St. Luke’s Campus, University of Exeter, Exeter, UKf Department of Food and Nutrition, and Sport Science, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden

a r t i c l e i n f o

Article history:Available online xxxx

PsycINFO classification:22203720

Keywords:Soccer specific movementsActivity profileFatigueHeart rateBlood lactateTechnical performanceFootball

a b s t r a c t

We evaluated the physiological response, sprint performance andtechnical ability in various phases of the Copenhagen Soccer Testfor Women (CSTw) and investigated whether the locomotor activ-ities of the CSTw were comparable to competitive match-play(CM). Physiological measurements and physical/technical assess-ments were performed during CSTw for eleven Norwegian high-level women soccer players. The activity pattern during CSTwand CM was monitored using the ZXY tracking system. No differ-ences were observed between CSTw and CM with regards to totaldistance covered (10093 ± 94 and 9674 ± 191 m), high intensityrunning (1278 ± 67 and 1193 ± 115 m) or sprinting (422 ± 55 and372 ± 46 m) (p > .05). During CSTw, average HR was 85 ± 2%HRmaxwith 35 ± 2% playing time >90%HRmax. Blood lactate increased(p < .05) from 1.4 ± 0.3 mM at rest to an average of 4.7 ± 0.5 mMduring CSTw, with no changes during the test. Blood glucose was5.4 ± 0.3 mM at rest and remained unaltered during CSTw. Sprintperformance (2 ! 20 m) decreased (p < .05) by 3% during CSTw(8.19 ± 0.06–8.47 ± 0.10 s). In conclusion, the locomotor activitiesduring CSTw were comparable to that of high-level competitive

0167-9457/$ - see front matter ! 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.humov.2013.07.011

! Corresponding author. Address: Sport and Health Sciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, St. Luke’s Campus,University of Exeter, Heavitree Road, Exeter EX1 2LU, UK. Tel.: +44 (0)1392 724752; fax: +44 (0)1392 264726.

E-mail address: [email protected] (P. Krustrup).

Human Movement Science xxx (2013) xxx–xxx

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Please cite this article in press as: Bendiksen, M., et al. Application of the Copenhagen Soccer Test in high-levelwomen players – locomotor activities, physiological response and sprint performance. Human Movement Science(2013), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.humov.2013.07.011

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.humov.2013.07.011

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match-play. The physiological demands of the CSTw were high,with no changes in heart rate, blood lactate or technical perfor-mance during the test, but a lowered sprint performance towardsthe end of the test.

! 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction

Activity patterns in elite male soccer matches have been investigated comprehensively for manyyears (Bangsbo, 1994; Bangsbo, Norregaard, & Thorso, 1991; Drust, Reilly, & Cable, 2000; Mohr,Krustrup, & Bangsbo, 2003), and within recent years research has also examined female players(Andersson, Randers, Heiner-Moller, Krustrup, & Mohr, 2010; Gabbett & Mulvey, 2008; Krustrup, Mohr,Ellingsgaard, & Bangsbo, 2005; Krustrup, Zebis, Jensen, & Mohr, 2010; Mohr, Krustrup, Andersson,Kirkendal, & Bangsbo, 2008). It has been observed that the heart rate response to elite female soccermatches is similar to male elite matches, with average cardiovascular loading around 85% of individualmaximal heart rate (HRmax) and with more than 25% of the total time in the aerobic high intensity zone,above 90% of HRmax (Andersson, Ekblom, & Krustrup, 2008; Bangsbo, Mohr, & Krustrup, 2006; Krustrupet al., 2005). Likewise, total distance covered in elite female matches of around 10 km is comparable toelite male match-play, whereas the amount of high intensity running, sprinting and the blood lactatevalues are observed to be lower in female than in male matches (Ekblom, 1986; Krustrup, Mohr,Steensberg, et al., 2006; Krustrup et al., 2005, 2010; Mohr & Krustrup, 2013; Mohr et al., 2003, 2010).Interestingly, when using both equal cut-off limits and cut-off limits relative to maximal sprinting speedless distance is covered at high-intensity running and sprinting in female matches (Dwyer & Gabbett,2012; Krustrup, Bendiksen, & Bangsbo, 2013; Krustrup et al., 2005; Mohr et al., 2003, 2008; Mujika, San-tisteban, Impellizzeri, & Castagna, 2009). Another interesting finding is that the amount of high-inten-sity running and sprinting increases with the level of elite participation for both female and maleplayers (Ingebrigtsen et al., 2012; Mohr et al., 2003, 2008) and that the amount of high-speed runningand sprinting decreases after intense exercise periods during matches and towards the end of compet-itive and friendly soccer matches in both male and female elite players (Andersson et al., 2008; Bradleyet al., 2009; Krustrup et al., 2005, 2006; Mohr et al., 2003, 2008, 2010).

In order to better understand the underlying factors responsible for fatigue in competitive footballmatch play, muscle and blood metabolites, electrolytes, body temperatures and muscle damage markerscan be assessed. Due to the inherent difficulties in obtaining such measurements relatively few studieshave determined the muscle and blood metabolites in various phases of soccer matches or during soc-cer-specific exercise (Bendiksen et al., 2012; Greig, McNaughton, & Lovell, 2006; Krustrup et al., 2006,2011; Mohr & Krustrup, 2013; Mohr, Krustrup, Nybo, Nielsen, & Bangsbo, 2004; Mohr et al., 2010; Nyboet al., 2010; Rostgaard, Iaia, Simonsen, & Bangsbo, 2008; Thorlund, Aagaard, & Madsen, 2009). As exer-cise intensity changes dramatically throughout soccer matches (Mohr & Krustrup, 2013; Mohr et al.,2003, 2004, 2010), this has an impact on the physiological response during different match periods.Investigating this is difficult, since the physiological response is highly dependent on the activity pat-tern, and exercise intensity immediately prior to the sampling (Krustrup et al., 2006). The activity pat-tern, including high intensity running and sprinting, has also been observed to vary from match to matchin elite soccer (Andersson et al., 2010; Gregson, Drust, Atkinson, & Salvo, 2010; Krustrup et al., 2010;Mohr et al., 2003). Sampling during a soccer simulation that allows for continuous measurementsmay be a useful tool to obtain reproducible measurements under standardized conditions as have beenpreviously described for elite male soccer players (Bangsbo & Lindquist, 1992; Bendiksen et al., 2012;Gunnarsson et al., 2013; Rostgaard et al., 2008). Soccer simulations have been done on treadmills, butthe nature of treadmill testing prevents the inclusion of soccer specific movements and activity changes(Drust et al., 2000; Stuart, Hopkins, Cook, & Cairns, 2005) and to our knowledge, the physiological re-sponse has not previously been investigated in soccer specific simulations for high-level female players.

The Copenhagen Soccer Test (CST) was recently developed in order to mimic match play conditions,to induce similar physiological responses to elite male competitive matches, and to allow for blood

2 M. Bendiksen et al. / Human Movement Science xxx (2013) xxx–xxx



and muscle sampling every 5 min during the test (Bendiksen et al., 2012). Due to the high specificity ofthe CST to elite male soccer (Bendiksen et al., 2012), using the CST in other populations should beundertaken with care, as physical capacity and match performance differ between populations. Hence,it may be argued that the CST, as described by Bendiksen et al. (2012) is not suitable for elite femalesoccer players (Krustrup et al., 2013). The Copenhagen Soccer Test for Women (CSTw), based on theCST, was therefore developed taking account of elite female players’ locomotor profiles in terms ofTDC, HIR and sprinting (Krustrup et al., 2005). Apart from sprinting, which is performed as a sprint testperformed at maximal individual running speed, the CSTw contains the same running velocities asCST. The amount of TDC, HIR and sprinting is 5, 34 and 22%, respectively, lower in CSTw than inCST, which mimics the gender differences in elite soccer of "5, "35 and "20% (Krustrup et al.,2005; Mohr et al., 2003, 2008).

Thus, the purpose of the present study was to develop and apply a modified version of the Copen-hagen Soccer test to be used in high-level female soccer. The locomotor activities of the CSTw werecompared to that of competitive match-play and the physiological response, technical abilities andsprint performance was evaluated in various phases of the test and compared to the original CST.

2. Methods

2.1. Subjects

Eleven high-level female soccer players competing in the second best league in Norway, i.e., theFirst Division, participated in the study. These players had a mean age, height, body mass, fat percent-age, HRmax and VO2max of 21.0 ± 4.5 (±SD) yrs, 169.3 ± 5.5 cm, 58.7 ± 6.0 kg, 20.6 ± 2.7%, 193 ± 7 b.p.m.and 3.24 ± 0.38 L/min, corresponding to 54.7 ± 2.7 ml kg#1 min#1, respectively. The players had a Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery level 1 (YYIR1) test performance of 1232 ± 244 m. All players were fully in-formed of experimental procedures and possible discomforts associated with the study before givingtheir written informed consent to participate. The study was given institutional approval and con-forms to the Helsinki Declaration.

2.2. Design

All players carried out the Copenhagen Soccer Test for Women (see Section 2.6) consisting of2 ! 45 min of soccer-specific movements interspersed with a 15-min half-time break (Bendiksenet al., 2012) and were also analyzed during a competitive match. The CSTw was performed withinone week before or after the competitive match. During CSTw heart rate, capillary blood samples,technical performance and sprint performance data were collected. The CSTw was conducted in themorning (9–12 am) or afternoon (1–4 pm) and the competitive match was played in the afternoon(3–5 pm). The match was a competitive match that influenced the league ranking with the final scorebeing 1-1. Physical performance tests were performed prior to the CSTw and competitive match playin order to determine HRmax, VO2max and intermittent exercise performance. In this study only onecompetitive game was used to examine the physical match performance, since the subjects are of ahigh-level, and the time between the testing procedures (CSTw, YYIR1 and treadmill testing) andthe competitive match should be as short as possible to avoid alterations in physical fitness of the sub-jects. All subjects were instructed to follow their habitual diet prior to all testing sessions and the com-petitive match, and refrained from strenuous exercise and consuming alcohol for 48 h, and tobaccoand caffeine for 12 h.

2.3. The ZXY Sports Tracking System

The ZXY Sport Tracking system was used to calculate the distance covered during the CSTw and thecompetitive match. The data were divided into 3 main groups; i.e., 1) the sensor system, 2) the datacollection, monitoring and storage system and 3) the statistical engines. The sensor system: Each ath-lete wears a belt around her waist. The belt contains electronic sensors that register body movement

M. Bendiksen et al. / Human Movement Science xxx (2013) xxx–xxx 3



in 3 directional axes. Positioning the electronic sensor system on the player’s lumbar junction hasbeen found to be the best position to capture signals which correspond to the power that is generatedfrom each foot movement. In addition to these effort-sensor signals, axial rotation speeds and bodymovement on heading are all transmitted simultaneously and in real time to the stationary sensor sys-tem. This generation 1 of the ZXY system is based on the 2.45 GHZ ISM band used for radio commu-nication and signal transmissions. All stationary sensors are interfaced to the data infrastructure usingstandard TCP/IP Ethernet connections. The stationary sensors are mounted in light poles or up in thetribune roof around the pitch. These compute the positional data from each belt in the field by provid-ing advanced vector based processing of the radio signals received. The processing system in each sta-tionary sensor enables direct projection of the players’ positions on the field without the use ofconventional triangulation methods. The default resolution is fixed to 20 Hz for each belt. The sensorhas a field of view corresponding to approximately a 90" angle, which determines the number of sen-sors to be applied for the specific installation site. The Alfheim Stadium is equipped with 10 sensors.Redundancy and reliability, with high robustness to occlusions/signal blocking, is secured by ensuringoverlapping zones for these physically distributed stationary sensors. As all body sensor information iscaptured in the same radio signal used for computing the positions, the system enables robust timesynchronization of all data when stored into the database. The data collection, monitoring and storagesystem: Data from the body sensors is processed by the central server and organized and stored in adatabase for future analysis. During operation, a monitoring and application system enables a delay ofthree seconds between realtime data capture and analysis, to enhance specificity and intensity controlof subsequent analyses performed.

2.4. Yo-Yo IR1 and treadmill testing

One week before the competitive match, all players performed the Yo-Yo intermittent recovery testlevel 1 on an artificial turf pitch in order to determine the soccer-specific fitness status (Anderssonet al., 2010; Bangsbo, Iaia, & Krustrup, 2008; Bradley et al., 2009; Krustrup et al., 2003, 2005; Mohret al., 2008).

In order to determine individual maximal heart rate and pulmonary oxygen uptake, the playerscompleted an incremental treadmill test on a Woodway ELG 70 treadmill (Waukesha, WI, USA) at afixed inclination of 5.3% (Pettersen & Mathisen, 2012). The starting pace varied by individual (9–11 km h#1). Every minute, the workload was increased by 1 km h#1. Heart rates were monitored witha Polar RS 400 chest belt (POLAR, Kempele, Finland). Expired air was analyzed continuously for oxygenand carbon-dioxide with a Erich Jaeger Oxycon Pro analyzer (Jaeger–Viasys, Healthcare, Hoechberg,Germany) calibrated with two standardized gases before each test. Maximal heart rate and oxygen up-take was determined as the highest 15-s value and the mean of the two highest 30-s values,respectively.

2.5. The Copenhagen Soccer Test for Women

2.5.1. The design of CSTwThe Copenhagen Soccer Test for women (CSTw) is designed as a 2 ! 45 min field test similarly to

the Copenhagen Soccer Test (CST) (Fig. 1) (Bendiksen et al., 2012; Gunnarsson et al., 2013). The CSTwwas designed to impose physical demands equivalent to those previously reported during competitivefemale matches (Andersson et al., 2010; Krustrup et al., 2005, 2010; Mohr et al., 2008). In order to re-flect the physical demands of elite female matches within CSTw, the movement patterns, amount ofhigh intensity running, time with the ball, number of headers, shots, and passes were extracted fromnumerous studies of female soccer and incorporated in the design (Andersson et al., 2010; Krustrupet al., 2005, 2010; Mohr et al., 2008). The CST is based on individual time-motion analysis by Mohret al. (2003), and the activity pattern in CSTw has been adjusted according to the study by Mohret al. (2008), analyzing activity profiles of 19 top-class female soccer players competing at interna-tional level. The time-motion analysis from Mohr et al. (2008) presents the mean duration of the eightdifferent locomotor categories and, based on these, the mean distances of movements in each of thelocomotor categories were calculated. Since female soccer players at an elite level complete 35% less




high-intensity running (>15 km h#1), 20% less sprinting (>21 km h#1) and 5% less total distance thantheir male counterparts, the distances covered in CSTw were adjusted accordingly (Andersson et al.,2010; Bangsbo et al., 1991; Krustrup et al., 2005; Mohr et al., 2003, 2008).

2.5.2. The CSTw protocolBefore engaging in CSTw the subjects undertook a controlled warm-up followed by a test-leader.

The CSTw test was explained and used as warm-up area, with the test leader controlling the running

Fig. 1. The protocol for the Copenhagen Soccer Test for Women (CSTw) describing the movements and the activity profile. TheCSTw includes multiple repetitions of backwards running (BW), sideways running (slide) and forward movements at variousspeeds, including sprinting, high-speed running (HS), moderate speed running (MS) and low-speed running (LS), as well asjumps, shots, dribbles and turns with the ball (dashed line) and without the ball (full line). A 2 ! 20 m sprinting test andtechnical free kick and passing tests are also shown. The players run one full circuit every 5 min and the intensity is variedbetween low-, medium- and high-intensity 5-min segments by adjusting the amount of MS and HS performed at the end ofeach circuit, i.e., the penalty arch double-shuttle.




time between the markers using a Polar stopwatch (Polar Electro, Kempele, Finland). The CSTw con-sisted of two halves of 45 min, interspersed with a 15-min half time break. As for CST, each half wassubdivided into nine periods of 5 min (see Fig. 1). This allows for the intensity to vary during the CSTw,as in competitive matches (Andersson et al., 2008; Bangsbo, 1994; Gregson et al., 2010; Krustrup et al.,2006, 2010; Mohr et al., 2008). The final version of CSTw consisted of repeated 5-min bouts, each rep-resenting 85, 196, 95, 30, 33, 30 and 23 m of walking ("6 km h#1), jogging ("8 km h#1), low-("12 km h#1), moderate- ("15 km h#1) and high-speed running ("18 km h#1), backwards running("10 km h#1) and backwards/sideways sliding ("8 km h#1), respectively (Fig. 1) The 5-min boutswere categorized as either low- (L), moderate- (M) or high-intensity (H) bouts, with medium andhigh-intensity bouts including the 2 ! 20 m sprint test, and an additional 20 and 40 m of moderate-speed running, and 22 and 44 m of high-speed running, respectively. The two halves consisted of9 ! 5-min periods carried out in the following order: L-M-H-L-M-M-L-M-H. At the end of each 5-min period blood samples were collected during a 15–20 s scheduled rest period. The test was alsodesigned to allow more detailed measurements of the players’ technical abilities and physical perfor-mance during a match. This was done by including both a technical shooting-passing performance testand a sprint test in each 5-min segment of the protocol.

The players had individual water bottles and were allowed to drink 1 L of water during the test. Theplayers were supervised during the test by experienced test personnel and speeds were controlled bysound emission. The CSTw was carried out on a 68 ! 105 m artificial grass soccer field.

2.5.3. Heart rate recordings and blood sampling during CSTwHeart rate was collected at 5-s intervals during CSTw, using a chest strap monitor (Polar RS400, Po-

lar Electro, Kempele, Finland). At rest, before the first half, after 15, 30 and 45 min of the first half, be-fore the second half, and 15, 30 and 45 min of the second half, a 2–5 lL blood sample was collectedfrom a fingertip to measure capillary blood lactate and glucose using a Lactate Pro (Arkray KDK, Kyoto,Japan) and an Accu Chek Aviva (Roche Diagnostics, IN, USA) hand-held portable analysers. Before eachCSTw the Lactate Pro was calibrated with a check strip according to manufacturers’ guidelines. CV forthe Lactate Pro is 3% according to the manufacturer.

2.5.4. Shuttle sprint testing during CSTwThe players performed a series of 2 ! 20 m shuttle sprints (see Bendiksen et al., 2012). The sprints

were initiated from a standing position, 30 cm behind the first timing gate. For each of the shuttle-sprints the players sprinted 20 m in a straight line, turned on a marked line, and sprinted back tothe starting line. Participants were instructed to sprint with maximal effort, and verbally encouragedduring each of the shuttle sprints. Before the CSTw, and after a 15-min warm-up, as well as after 10,15, 25, 30, 40 and 45 min of the first and second half of the CSTw, the players performed the 2 ! 20 mshuttle-sprints. Split times were recorded at 15 m, 25 m and at 40 m. Sprint times were recorded byphotocell gates placed 1.0 m above the ground, with a precision of 0.001 s (Brower Timing System, SaltLake City, UT, USA). The test result for each shuttle-test was recorded as well as the best times for eachindividual over 15, 25 and 40 m. When using these photocells, the inter-class correlation (ICC) for 30-m sprint times was .99 with a CV of 0.9% (Shalfawi, Sabbah, Kailani, Tønnessen, & Enoksen, 2011). Inthe present study the ICC was .91 with a CV of 2.3% for 10-m sprint times on day1 vs day2, and 0.91and 2.9%, respectively, for the 20-m sprint times.

2.5.5. Technical performance testing during CSTwThe technical testing included in the CSTw consisted of passing and shooting from a free-kick. The

shooting test allowed players to shoot from a free-kick at a distance of 20.15 m from the standard 11 a-side goal (2.44 ! 7.32 m). The goal was divided into 6 areas by two vertical 6 cm wide nylon stringsplaced 1.20 m from the goal posts, and one horizontal string placed at a height of 1.14 m. 30 s into each5-min segment, the players were given 10 s to shoot a freekick (see Fig. 1). The players were awardedpoints according to how accurately they hit the goal, i.e., 5 points for shots in the top corners; 3 pointsfor shots in the bottom corners, at the corner posts, and in the top middle part of the goal; 1 point forshots in the bottom middle part of the goal, at the lowest part of the posts, and at the top middle part ofthe bar, 1 point and 0 points for shots wide of the goal. The passing test was carried out as previously




described so that the player was required to make one long, high pass every 5 min throughout the test(Bendiksen et al., 2012; Rostgaard et al., 2008). Three and a half min into each 5-min segment, after run-ning 30 m at 15 km h#1 controlled by sound emission, the players had one touch on the ball beforemaking a 30-m long airborne pass in the run direction, aiming at hitting a 50 m2 area close to the goalline. The accuracy of the 30-m pass was awarded points as follows: 5 points if the ball landed in theinner area (6 ! 3 m), 3 points if it landed in the middle area (8 ! 4 m) and 1 point if it landed in theouter area (10 ! 5 m), with 0 points if the ball missed the target. The points for shooting and passingfor six 15-min intervals were totaled for all six 15-min intervals.

2.6. Statistics

Changes in locomotor activities, heart rates, blood metabolites, technical performance and sprintperformance during CSTw were evaluated using one-way analysis of variance with repeated measures

Fig. 2. Heart rate response to the Copenhagen Soccer Test for Women (CSTw), expressed as (A) mean heart rate in 5-minperiods during CSTw and (B) heart rate distribution for the entire CSTw, presented as the fraction of time in heart rate zones of<70%, 70–80%, 80–90% and >90% of individual maximal heart rate. Data are presented as means ± SEM as well as means andindividual values (n = 10).




(1-way RM ANOVA). Differences in locomotor activities between CST and competitive game were eval-uated using two-way analysis of variance with repeated measures (2-way RM ANOVA). When a sig-nificant interaction was detected, data were subsequently analyzed using a Newman-Keuls post-hoc test. Correlations were evaluated using Pearson’s product-moment test. Coefficient of variance(CV) was calculated as the standard deviation of the individual differences in the test-retest result di-vided by the mean test result and multiplied by 100. A significance level of .05 was chosen. Data arepresented as means ± standard deviation (SD) unless otherwise stated.

3. Results

3.1. Heart rate loading during CSTw

Mean heart rate during CSTw was 168 ± 4 b.p.m, corresponding to a relative heart rate loading of86 ± 3% of maximal HR (HRmax) (Fig. 2A). No significant difference was observed in mean heart ratebetween the first and second half (171 ± 3 and 164 ± 4 b.p.m; 88 ± 2 and 84 ± 2%HRmax, p > .05) of thetest (Fig. 1). The total time spent in heart rate zones of <70, 70–80, 80–90, 90–100%HRmax, respec-tively, was: 1 ± 1, 15 ± 3, 49 ± 2, 35 ± 2% of the total time (Fig. 2B). Significant differences (p < .05) wereobserved in time spent in the heart rate zones 70–80 and 90–100%HRmax during the first half com-pared to the second (6.4 ± 1.3 vs. 14.2 ± 1.6% and 46.0 ± 4.9 vs. 30.2 ± 3.7%, respectively) (Fig. 2B).

3.2. Capillary blood lactate and glucose during CSTw

Capillary blood lactate was 1.4 ± 0.3 and 2.5 ± 0.3 mmol l#1 at rest and after the warm up, and rose(p < .05) to 4.7 ± 0.5, 4.8 ± 0.4, 4.7 ± 0.4 mmol l#1, respectively, after 15, 30 and 45 min of CSTw (Fig. 3).During the half-time period, capillary blood lactate decreased (p < .05) to 2.8 ± 0.4 mmol l#1 afterwhich it increased (p < .05) to 4.0 ± 0.7, 3.6 ± 0.3 and 4.9 ± 0.4 mmol l#1, respectively, after 15, 30,and 45 min of the second half of CSTw, with no significant differences between the first and secondhalf (Fig. 3). Capillary blood glucose was 5.4 ± 0.3 and 5.1 ± 0.3 mmol l#1 at rest and after the warm-up, which was not different from values obtained after the first and second half of the CSTw,(5.6 ± 0.2 and 4.9 ± 0.2 mmol l#1 (p > .05).

Fig. 3. Capillary blood lactate during to the Copenhagen Soccer Test for Women (CSTw). Data are presented as means andindividual values (n = 10).




3.3. Total distance covered and high-intensity running in CSTw vs. competitive match-play

Total distance covered (TDC) in CSTw was 10093 ± 94 m, whereas TDC in the competitive matchwas 9674 ± 191 m, with no significant difference between conditions. The high intensity running(HIR, 1278 ± 67 and 1193 ± 115 m) and sprinting (422 ± 55 and 372 ± 46 m) in CSTw and the compet-itive match were also similar. TDC and HIR decreased by >20% (p < .05) from the first 15 min of the firsthalf (1782 ± 39 and 238 ± 28 m) to the middle (1393 ± 59 and 151 ± 20 m) and the last 15-min periodof the second half of the competitive match (1315 ± 47 and 190 ± 23 m, respectively). During CSTw theTDC and HIR in the first 15 min of the first half and the last 15 min period of the second half, revealedno significant differences with values of 1205 ± 169 and 1108 ± 192 m, respectively, for TDC and157 ± 24 and 136 ± 24 m, respectively, for HIR. Sprint distances during the competitive match de-creased by 45% (p < .05) from the first 15 min of the first half (71 ± 13 m) to the middle 15 min periodof the second half (39 ± 7 m), but not from the first to the last 15 min period of the match (71 ± 13 and85 ± 12 m, p > .05). During CSTw, sprinting in the first 15 min of the first half (73 ± 11 m) was not dif-ferent (p > .05) from the middle 15 min period and the last 15 min period of the second half (56 ± 10and 61 ± 10 m, respectively).

3.4. Sprint performance during CSTw

The 2 ! 20-m sprint time was 108–109% of the best time after 55 and 85 min of CSTw, which wasslower (p < .05) than after 10 and 30 min, with sprint times of 103% of the best time (Fig. 4). The 15-msprint time expressed in relation to the best sprinting time was 105–108% of best time after 55, 60, 85and 90 min of CSTw, which was slower (p < .05) than after 10 and 30 min, with sprint times of 102% ofbest time (p < .05). The 2 ! 20 m sprint performances, expressed in absolute sprinting time, were 3–4%slower (p < .05) from 45–60 and 75–90 min (8.51 ± 0.10 and 8.47 ± 0.10 s) than from 0–15 min(8.19 ± 0.06 s).

3.5. Technical performance during CSTw

The technical test score over 90 min of CSTw was 64 ± 3 points (range: 42–88 points), correspond-ing to about 36% of the maximal possible score of 180 points, with no significant difference betweenthe first and second half (29 ± 3 vs. 35 ± 2 points). The free-kick shooting and passing test accounted

Fig. 4. Sprint performance during the Copenhagen Soccer Test for Women (CSTw). Data are presented as means and individualvalues (n = 10). ⁄Significantly different from 0 to 15 min (p < .05).




for 43 ± 4 (17–52) and 24 ± 4 (19–43) points, respectively. No significant differences were observedbetween the six 15-min periods of the matches with values of 7 ± 1, 10 ± 1, 11 ± 1, 12 ± 1, 12 ± 1and 11 ± 1, respectively (Fig. 5).

4. Discussion

The main findings of the present study are that the locomotor activities of the Copenhagen Soccer Testfor Women are comparable to high-level female soccer match-play, and that the physiological demandsand decrement in sprint performance are similar to previously published data on female match-play. Inaddition, the physiological response to the Copenhagen Soccer Test for Women was observed to be sim-ilar to the original Copenhagen Soccer Test used for male players (Bendiksen et al., 2012).

4.1. Distances covered and physiological loading during CSTw

The total distance covered during the CSTw and the competitive match was"10 km, which equatesto previous observations from elite female soccer (Andersson et al., 2010; Krustrup et al., 2005; Mohret al., 2008). The HIR in both the CSTw and the competitive match was 1200–1300 m on average,which is broadly in agreement with previous observations of Scandinavian domestic female elitematches, and "25% less than international elite female matches (Andersson et al., 2010; Krustrupet al., 2005; Mohr et al., 2008). Total distance covered by sprinting of "400 m showed that the playersperformed at the same level as Danish and Swedish top league players in terms of sprint quantity(Mohr et al., 2008). The present study revealed an average heart rate of 168 (158–183) b.p.m. duringCSTw, corresponding to 86 (84–90)% of maximal heart rate, with no significant differences betweenhalves. Previous studies observed very similar findings in a competitive match in the top female Dan-ish League (167 b.p.m and 87%HRmax, Krustrup et al., 2010) and in a female international friendlymatch (163 b.p.m and 82%HRmax, Andersson et al., 2010). In addition, during the CSTw heart ratewas in the aerobic high-intensity zone for more than one-third of the total time (35% (22–54%) of totaltime), which is similar to or even longer than during competitive matches for Danish and Swedish eliteplayers (32%, Krustrup et al., 2005); 17%, Andersson et al., 2010).

4.2. Sprint performance during CSTw

Sprint performance during the CSTw resulted in a reduction of about 3% from the first sprint to thelast sprint, and the last sprint was 4% slower than the overall best 2 ! 20 m sprint performance. This

Fig. 5. Technical performance in the Copenhagen Soccer Test for Women (CSTw), including points for free-kick shooting (whitebars), passing (light gray bars) as well as the sum of the two tests (dark gray bar). Data are presented as means and individualvalues (n = 10).




decrease appears to be equal to the 2–3% reduction found in male players (Krustrup, Mohr, Nybo, et al.,2006; Mohr et al., 2004), and elite female players during friendly and competitive matches (Krustrupet al., 2005). Impairment of sprinting performance has been related to reduced muscle glycogen con-tent during the last part of a soccer match, where a large fraction of the individual fibers have beenfound to be totally or partly depleted of muscle glycogen (Bendiksen et al., 2012; Krustrup et al.,2006, 2010, 2011). Although the CSTw allows for muscle biopsy sampling this procedure was notundertaken in the present study. However, throughout the CSTw capillary blood lactates were higherthan 4 mmol l#1 (whole blood values converted to YSI values), which indicates a significant glycolyticenergy turnover. The converting factor is used in order to compare the blood lactate measures in thisstudy with those of other studies. Previous studies investigating locomotor activities and blood lac-tates during elite female friendly matches have found a decrease in high intensity running, as wellas blood lactates, towards the end of the match (Krustrup et al., 2010). In the present study, blood lac-tates were at a constant level the CSTw protocol, which may relate to the fact that total distances ofhigh intensity running and sprinting are kept constant. The impaired sprint performance found in thisstudy may also be related to reduced muscle glycogen content, since the heart rate during CSTw was86%HRmax, indicating high energy turnover during the match, and a subsequent reduction in lower-ing of muscle glycogen content. Further studies are required to investigate the mechanisms underly-ing our findings of a pronounced decrease in intermittent exercise performance and a reduction insprinting speed.

4.3. The CSTw in comparison to the CST

The CSTw is based on the original CST test, which has been shown to elicit the same physiologicalresponse as competitive elite male soccer matches and to be both a reproducible and valid test of thephysical demands of elite male soccer (Bendiksen et al., 2012). Based on the reproducibility and val-idation of the CST, and for reasons of simplicity, the simulated soccer test for women was developedfrom the CST. The physical demands of elite female matches are less, in terms of absolute HIR andmetres sprinted less, when compared with male competitive performance, but are the same in termsof TDC and mean HR, as well as the percentage of the total time spent with a HR above 90% of HRmax(Krustrup et al., 2005, 2010; Mohr et al., 2008). Compared to the CST, HIR and sprinting were reducedby 30 and 33% respectively in the CSTw, which is of the same order of magnitude as the gender dif-ferences observed in competitive top-level elite soccer matches. The mean technical performance inCSTw was 17% of the maximal score which was within the same range as the technical performancescore during CST (15% of the maximal score) (Bendiksen et al., 2012). The 2 ! 20 m sprint performancedecreased by 3% in the CSTw, compared to a 5–7% decrease reported in the CST (Bendiksen et al.,2012). A 3% decrease in the CSTw corresponds to the impaired sprint performance reported by Krust-rup et al. (2010), which tested the mean of 3 ! 30 m repeated sprint performance before and after ahigh level match, and found a decrease of"4%. This underlines the notion that elite female soccer elicita high aerobic and anaerobic energy turnover, and that performance decreases towards the end of amatch. The CST has been shown to be both reproducible and valid as a test, which imposes the samephysical demands as elite male soccer. The present study reveal that the CSTw is well adjusted to thedemands of elite female soccer and that the test may be considered a well-controlled and valid test ofthe physical demands in elite female soccer.

5. Conclusion

In conclusion, the locomotor activities in the CSTw were observed to be comparable to high-levelcompetitive soccer match-play and the physiological response to the CSTw showed similar responsesto previously published data on female match-play and to the original CST test. In addition, it wasobserved that the sprint performance deteriorated during the test as observed in competitivematch-play. Together, these findings suggest that the CSTw is a valid test of the physical demandsin female soccer. As the CSTw consists of speed-controlled 5-min simulated match segments, itenables frequent measurements of blood and muscle metabolites and assessment of physical and




technical performance, the CSTw is a highly relevant tool to study physiological factors underlyingphysical performance in elite female soccer. Additionally, the CSTw can be used to study the foot-ball-specific effects of different training regimes, nutritional interventions and playing at variousambient temperatures, altitudes and on different playing surfaces.

Acknowledgments

The study was supported by Team Denmark. There is no conflict of interest for any of the articleauthors. The authors thank the players and their soccer clubs IF Fløya and IK Grand Bodø for their par-ticipation and excellent cooperation. The technical assistance from Daniel Vedal, Susann Dahl Petter-sen, Truls Hallen, Jorid Degerstrøm, Rasmus Vilhelmsen, David Childs and Suzanne Scott wasappreciated.

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Documents

Application of the Copenhagen Soccer Test in high-level women players – locomotor activities, physiological response and sprint performance