Comparing Match-Related Physical Performance Using Arbitrary and Individual Running Speed, Acceleration, and Deceleration Zones in Professional Football Players (Part 1)
- 1Institute of Sport Sciences, Biomechanics & Integrative Physiology of Exercise Dynamics (BIPED) laboratory, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland; and
- 2Performance Laboratory Football Club Lucerne, Lucerne, Switzerland
Abstract
Antenucci, L, Schmidt, C, and Malatesta, D. Comparing match-related physical performance using arbitrary and individual running speed, acceleration, and deceleration zones in professional football players (part 1). J Strength Cond Res 40(11): e1182–e1189, 2026—This study aimed to compare match-related physical performance and its match-to-match variability using arbitrary (ARB) and individualized (IND) intensity thresholds for running speed, accelerations (ACC), and decelerations (DEC) in a professional football team. Global navigation satellite system data from an entire Swiss first-division season (30 matches) were analyzed for 14 players. The match-related physical performance was assessed across 4 intensity zones for running speed, ACCs, and DECs: low-speed running, high-speed running (HSR), very high-speed running, sprinting and ACC1/2/3/4/DEC1/2/3/4. The distance covered and the number of ACCs/DECs in each zone were recorded through 3 thresholds for both ARB (speed: 14.4/19.8/25.2 km·h−1; ACCs/DECs: 1.0/2.0/3.0 m·s−2) and IND (speed: speed at the second lactate threshold, peak incremental speed, and anaerobic sprint reserve; ACCs/DECs: 25%/50%/75% of maximal ACCs/DECs). Within-player match-to-match variability coefficient of variation was also calculated. Significant differences were found between both methods across all zones (p ≤ 0.033). Running distances were significantly greater in IND than in ARB for all zones (4.5–110.7%) except HSR (−37.0%). Accelerations/DECs were significantly greater in IND for ACC1 (74.7%) and DEC1 (117.9%), but lower for ACC2/3/4/DEC2/3/4 (−16.0% to −96.3%). The number of ACC4/DEC4 was nearly negligible in IND. Coefficients of variation were lower for sprint distance, and greater for ACC4/DEC4 in IND than in ARB. The significant differences between ARB and IND running speed zones suggest that IND method should be used to assess match-related running performance accurately, while ARB method should be used for quantifying the number of ACCs/DECs.
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BibTeX
@article{antenucci2026comparing,
title = {{Comparing Match-Related Physical Performance Using Arbitrary and Individual Running Speed, Acceleration, and Deceleration Zones in Professional Football Players (Part 1)}},
author = {Leo Antenucci and Christian Schmidt and Davide Malatesta},
journal = {Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research},
year = {2026},
month = may,
doi = {10.1519/jsc.0000000000005545},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1519/jsc.0000000000005545},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Comparing Match-Related Physical Performance Using Arbitrary and Individual Running Speed, Acceleration, and Deceleration Zones in Professional Football Players (Part 1)
AU - Leo Antenucci
AU - Christian Schmidt
AU - Davide Malatesta
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/05/29
JO - Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research
DO - 10.1519/jsc.0000000000005545
UR - https://doi.org/10.1519/jsc.0000000000005545
AB - Antenucci, L, Schmidt, C, and Malatesta, D. Comparing match-related physical performance using arbitrary and individual running speed, acceleration, and deceleration zones in professional football players (part 1). J Strength Cond Res 40(11): e1182–e1189, 2026—This study aimed to compare match-related physical performance and its match-to-match variability using arbitrary (ARB) and individualized (IND) intensity thresholds for running speed, accelerations (ACC), and decelerations (DEC) in a professional football team. Global navigation satellite system data from an entire Swiss first-division season (30 matches) were analyzed for 14 players. The match-related physical performance was assessed across 4 intensity zones for running speed, ACCs, and DECs: low-speed running, high-speed running (HSR), very high-speed running, sprinting and ACC1/2/3/4/DEC1/2/3/4. The distance covered and the number of ACCs/DECs in each zone were recorded through 3 thresholds for both ARB (speed: 14.4/19.8/25.2 km·h−1; ACCs/DECs: 1.0/2.0/3.0 m·s−2) and IND (speed: speed at the second lactate threshold, peak incremental speed, and anaerobic sprint reserve; ACCs/DECs: 25%/50%/75% of maximal ACCs/DECs). Within-player match-to-match variability coefficient of variation was also calculated. Significant differences were found between both methods across all zones (p ≤ 0.033). Running distances were significantly greater in IND than in ARB for all zones (4.5–110.7%) except HSR (−37.0%). Accelerations/DECs were significantly greater in IND for ACC1 (74.7%) and DEC1 (117.9%), but lower for ACC2/3/4/DEC2/3/4 (−16.0% to −96.3%). The number of ACC4/DEC4 was nearly negligible in IND. Coefficients of variation were lower for sprint distance, and greater for ACC4/DEC4 in IND than in ARB. The significant differences between ARB and IND running speed zones suggest that IND method should be used to assess match-related running performance accurately, while ARB method should be used for quantifying the number of ACCs/DECs.
SN - 1064-8011
SN - 1533-4287
ER -