Is Football Fitness needed for Team Success?
The majority of the population, including the soccer community would argue yes. So the question still stands, is football fitness required for football success?
Does anybody know?
Scientists have conducted a few experiments to try and solve the puzzle. Researchers and sports scientists conducted an experiment, which involved 320 male players from 3 different leagues from England.
Their aim was to study the relationship between football fitness and winning. They also looked at the correlation and the differences in fitness required for the various positions played.
The experiment measured and tested the following attributes and variables, peak oxygen uptake, the player’s body composition, leg power, jumping ability and flexibility.
The scientists were also interested in the correlation between player injuries and team success, so the medical staff also had their hands full recording data and observations.
Drum roll please for the findings.
They concluded that individual player results differed significantly between the 3 leagues. Oxygen uptake was 2.4% higher among the players from the Premiership and body composition was a low 9.8% compared to an average of 11.6% from the lower divisions.
Another interesting observation was that average jump height and team success were significantly correlated when comparing final league standings. The researchers also discovered that teams that suffered little to no injuries finished higher in the league standings. Not really rocket science if you ask me, best players on the field will increase your chances of success considerably.
The researchers concluded that team performance and success was not directly related to the level of fitness. Other factors such as player’s technique, tactics, formations, psychology, mindset and injuries need to be evaluated.
Don’t get me wrong here, football fitness is very important but at the end of the day, science doesn’t lie. Football success depends on other factors such as motivation, technical and tactical skills. So if you’re coaching and you want success, start earning your money instead of running your players to the ground.
Thomas Karapatsos is the editor and founder of Soccer Mastermind. Everything you ought to know about soccer can be found in this little community.
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