SECTION III - SPORTS AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY / RESEARCH PAPER
Sprint and High-Speed Running in Soccer: Should We Use Absolute or Normalized Thresholds?
1
Research Center in Sports Sciences, Health Sciences and Human Development (CIDESD), University of Maia, Maia, Portugal.
2
Research Center of the Polytechnic Institute of Maia (N2i), Maia Polytechnic Institute (IPMAIA), Castêlo da Maia, Maia, Portugal.
3
Department of Rehabilitation and Performance Optimization (DROP), Futebol Clube Famalicão—Futebol SAD, Famalicão, Portugal.
4
FSI Lab, Football Science Institute, Granada, Spain.
5
Department of Performance Optimization (GOD), Sporting Clube de Braga SAD, Braga, Portugal.
Submission date: 2025-02-17
Final revision date: 2025-04-28
Acceptance date: 2025-08-14
Publication date: 2025-12-10
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
The present study compared absolute (ABS) and normalized (expressed as a percentage of maximum speed, %MS) high-speed running (HSR) and sprinting (SPR) thresholds in soccer matches, while also assessing positional differences both among and within playing positions. Twenty-four elite youth male soccer players (age: 19.4 ± 0.9 years, body mass: 75.6 ± 6.8 kg, body height: 1.8 ± 0.06 m) participated in this study. Normalized thresholds were defined for high-speed running as 55–70% MS, 60–75% MS, 70–85% MS, and 75–90% MS, while sprinting was categorized as >90 % MS and >95% MS. For absolute thresholds, ABS-HSR was defined as distances covered at speed >19.8 km/h, whereas ABS-SPR corresponded to distances covered at speeds >25.2 km/h. Significant differences were observed between ABS-HSR and ABS-SPR and all normalized HSR and sprint thresholds (p < 0.001). Both between- and within-position comparisons revealed significant differences in distance covered between ABS and %MS speed bands. Midfielders (MFs) covered greater distances in the 55–70% MS speed interval (601.2 ± 294.7 m; p < 0.001; d = −0.27) compared to ABS-HSR. Interestingly, fullbacks (FBs) and wingers (WGs) demonstrated similar HSR patterns. Moreover, strikers (STs) did not cover distances >95% MS. This research highlights how the normalization approach to quantifying running demands differs significantly from the use of absolute metrics. Additionally, MFs were the only playing position to cover greater distances within a normalized HSR threshold. Furthermore, similar HSR patterns were observed between WGs and FBs.
REFERENCES (45)
1.
Asian-Clemente, J. A., Asín-Izquierdo, I., Requena, B., Galiano, C. (2025). External and Internal Loads of Transition Games Are Affected by the Presence of an Opposing Team and Their Initial Positions. Journal of Human Kinetics, 97, 115–126. https://doi.org/10.5114/jhk/19....
2.
Asian-Clemente, J. A., Rabano-Muñoz, A., Suarez-Arrones, L., & Requena, B. (2024). Analysis of Differences in Running Demands between Official Matches and Transition Games of Young Professional Soccer Players according to the Playing Position. Journal of Human Kinetics, 92, 121–131. https://doi.org/10.5114/jhk/17....
3.
Baptista, I., Johansen, D., Seabra, A., & Pettersen, S. A. (2018). Position specific player load during match-play in a professional football club. PloS One, 13(5), e0198115.
4.
Barnes, C., Archer, D. T., Hogg, B., Bush, M., & Bradley, P. S. (2014). The evolution of physical and technical performance parameters in the English Premier League. International Journal of Sports Medicine, 35(13), 1095–1100.
5.
Bowen, L., Gross, A. S., Gimpel, M., & Li, F.-X. (2017). Accumulated workloads and the acute:chronic workload ratio relate to injury risk in elite youth football players. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 51(5), 452–459.
6.
Bradley, P. S., Archer, D. T., Hogg, B., Schuth, G., Bush, M., Carling, C., & Barnes, C. (2016). Tier-specific evolution of match performance characteristics in the English Premier League: it’s getting tougher at the top. Journal of Sports Sciences, 34(10), 980–987.
7.
Buchheit, M., Settembre, M., Hader, K., & McHugh, D. (2023). Exposures to near-to-maximal speed running bouts during different turnarounds in elite football: association with match hamstring injuries. Biology of Sport, 40(4), 1057–1067.
8.
Bush, M., Barnes, C., Archer, D. T., Hogg, B., & Bradley, P. S. (2015). Evolution of match performance parameters for various playing positions in the English Premier League. Human Movement Science, 39, 1–11.
9.
Carril-Valdó, J. J., Ferrandis, J., Claver, F., Gil-Arias, A., & González-Rodenas, J. (2025). Comparison of physiological and physical demands between small-sided games and official matches in youth football players. Sport Sciences for Health, 21, 1021–1028.
10.
Cerone, G. L., Nicola, R., Caruso, M., Rossanigo, R., Cereatti, A., & Vieira, T. M. (2023). Running speed changes the distribution of excitation within the biceps femoris muscle in 80 m sprints. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 33(7), 1104–1115.
11.
Chumanov, E. S., Heiderscheit, B. C., & Thelen, D. G. (2011). Hamstring musculotendon dynamics during stance and swing phases of high-speed running. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 43(3), 525–532.
12.
Cormier, P., Tsai, M.-C., Meylan, C., Agar-Newman, D., Epp-Stobbe, A., Kalthoff, Z., & Klimstra, M. (2023). Concurrent Validity and Reliability of Different Technologies for Sprint-Derived Horizontal Force-Velocity-Power Profiling. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 37(6), 1298–1305.
13.
Cummins, C., Orr, R., O’Connor, H., & West, C. (2013). Global positioning systems (GPS) and microtechnology sensors in team sports: a systematic review. Sports Medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 43(10), 1025–1042.
14.
Dalen, T., Jørgen, I., Gertjan, E., Geir Havard, H., & Ulrik, W. (2016). Player Load, Acceleration, and Deceleration During Forty-Five Competitive Matches of Elite Soccer. Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 30(2), 351–359.
15.
de Lucas, R. D., Dittrich, N., Junior, R. B., de Souza, K. M., & Guglielmo, L. G. A. (2012). Is the critical running speed related to the intermittent maximal lactate steady state? Journal of Sports Science & Medicine, 11(1), 89–94.
16.
Djaoui, L., Chamari, K., Owen, A. L., & Dellal, A. (2017). Maximal Sprinting Speed of Elite Soccer Players During Training and Matches. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 31(6), 1509–1517.
17.
Dzhilkibaeva, {natalya, Khomiakova, A., Kalinin, E., Kuzmichev, V., & Lunina}, A. (2024). Long-term analysis of the physical and technical performance of players in Russian Premier Liga football matches from 2015 to 2022. Journal of Physical Education and Sport, 24(7), 1778–1787.
18.
Freeman, B. W., Talpey, S. W., James, L. P., Opar, D. A., & Young, W. B. (2023). Common High-Speed Running Thresholds Likely Do Not Correspond to High-Speed Running in Field Sports. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 37(7), 1411–1418.
19.
Gabbett, T. J. (2015). Use of Relative Speed Zones Increases the High-Speed Running Performed in Team Sport Match Play. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 29(12), 3353–3359.
20.
Gabbett, T. J. (2016). The training-injury prevention paradox: should athletes be training smarter and harder? British Journal of Sports Medicine, 50(5), 273–280.
21.
Gualtieri, A., Rampinini, E., Dello Iacono, A., & Beato, M. (2023). High-speed running and sprinting in professional adult soccer: Current thresholds definition, match demands and training strategies. A systematic review. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 5, 1116293.
22.
Higashihara, A., Ono, T., Kubota, J., Okuwaki, T., & Fukubayashi, T. (2010). Functional differences in the activity of the hamstring muscles with increasing running speed. Journal of Sports Sciences, 28(10), 1085–1092.
23.
Jones, A. M., & Vanhatalo, A. (2017). The “Critical Power” Concept: Applications to Sports Performance with a Focus on Intermittent High-Intensity Exercise. Sports Medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 47(Suppl 1), 65–78.
24.
Lago-Peñas, C., Lorenzo-Martinez, M., López-Del Campo, R., Resta, R., & Rey, E. (2023). Evolution of physical and technical parameters in the Spanish 2012–2019. Science & Medicine in Football, 7(1), 41–46.
25.
Lepschy, H., Wäsche, H., & Woll, A. (2020). Success factors in football: an analysis of the German Bundesliga. International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport, 20(2), 150–164.
26.
Lord, C., Blazevich, A. J., Abbiss, C. R., Drinkwater, E. J., & Ma’ayah, F. (2020). Comparing Maximal Mean and Critical Speed and Metabolic Powers in Elite and Sub-elite Soccer. International Journal of Sports Medicine, 41(4), 219–226.
27.
Martínez-Hernández, D., Quinn, M., & Jones, P. (2023). Linear advancing actions followed by deceleration and turn are the most common movements preceding goals in male professional soccer. Science & Medicine in Football, 7(1), 25–33.
28.
McKay, A. K. A., Stellingwerff, T., Smith, E. S., Martin, D. T., Mujika, I., Goosey-Tolfrey, V. L., Sheppard, J., & Burke, L. M. (2022). Defining training and performance caliber: A Participant Classification Framework. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 17(2), 317–331.
29.
McNally, T., Edwards, S., Halaki, M., O’Dwyer, N., Pizzari, T., & Blyton, S. (2023). Quantifying demands on the hamstrings during high-speed running: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 33(12), 2423–2443.
30.
Modric, T., Carling, C., Lago-Peñas, C., Sarmento, H., Veršić, S., Pajonková, F., & Sekulic, D. (2024). It is not (all) about running faster, opponent also plays; the effect of opposition team formation on running performance in professional soccer match-play. International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport, 25(4), 595–609. https://doi.org/10.1080/247486....
31.
Murray, N. B., Gabbett, T. J., & Townshend, A. D. (2018). The Use of Relative Speed Zones in Australian Football: Are We Really Measuring What We Think We Are? International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 13(4), 442–451.
32.
Oliva-Lozano, J. M., Fortes, V., López-Del Campo, R., Resta, R., & Muyor, J. M. (2023). When and how do professional soccer players experience maximal intensity sprints in LaLiga? Science & Medicine in Football, 7(3), 288–296.
33.
Perrotta, R., Ungureanu, A. N., Cherubini, D., Brustio, P. R., & Lupo, C. (2025). Technical, tactical, and time–motion match profiles of the forwards, midfielders, and defenders of a men’s football Serie A team. Sports, 13(2), 28.
34.
Pimenta, R., Antunes, H., Ribeiro, J., & Nakamura, F. Y. (2025a). Should GPS data be normalized for performance and fatigue monitoring in soccer? A theoretical-practical discussion on high-speed running. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 7, 1603767.
35.
Pimenta, R., Antunes, H., Ribeiro, J., & Yuzo Nakamura, F. (2025b). Should GPS data be normalized for performance and fatigue monitoring in soccer? A theoretical-practical discussion on sprinting. German Journal of Exercise and Sport Research, Advanced online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12662....
36.
Reardon, C., Tobin, D. P., & Delahunt, E. (2015). Application of Individualized Speed Thresholds to Interpret Position Specific Running Demands in Elite Professional Rugby Union: A GPS Study. PloS One, 10(7), e0133410.
37.
Reynolds, J., Connor, M., Jamil, M., & Beato, M. (2021). Quantifying and Comparing the Match Demands of U18, U23, and 1ST Team English Professional Soccer Players. Frontiers in Physiology, 12, 706451.
38.
Schache, A. G., Dorn, T. W., Wrigley, T. V., Brown, N. A. T., & Pandy, M. G. (2013). Stretch and activation of the human biarticular hamstrings across a range of running speeds. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 113(11), 2813–2828.
39.
Schober, P., Boer, C., & Schwarte, L. A. (2018). Correlation Coefficients: Appropriate Use and Interpretation. Anesthesia and Analgesia, 126(5), 1763–1768.
40.
Schulze, E., Julian, R., & Meyer, T. (2022). Exploring Factors Related to Goal Scoring Opportunities in Professional Football. Science & Medicine in Football, 6(2), 181–188.
41.
Schuth, G., Carr, G., Barnes, C., Carling, C., & Bradley, P. S. (2016). Positional interchanges influence the physical and technical match performance variables of elite soccer players. Journal of Sports Sciences, 34(6), 501–508. https://doi.org/10.1080/026404....
42.
Stølen, T., Chamari, K., Castagna, C., & Wisløff, U. (2005). Physiology of soccer: an update. Sports Medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 35(6), 501–536.
43.
Szymanek-Pilarczyk, M., Nowak, M. J., Góra, T., Oleksy, Ł., Drozd, M., & Wąsik, J. (2024). The Evaluation of the Modified Wave Periodization Model Efficiency on the Example of Young Soccer Players’ Sprint Tests. Journal of Human Kinetics, 94, 215–226. https://doi.org/10.5114/jhk/19....
44.
Tomazoli, G., Marques, J. B., Farooq, A., & Silva, J. R. (2020). Estimating Postmatch Fatigue in Soccer: The Effect of Individualization of Speed Thresholds on Perceived Recovery. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 15(9), 1216–1222.
45.
Varley, M. C., & Aughey, R. J. (2013). Acceleration profiles in elite Australian soccer. International Journal of Sports Medicine, 34(1), 34–39.
| eISSN: | 1899-7562 |
| ISSN: | 1640-5544 |
We process personal data collected when visiting the website. The function of obtaining information about users and their behavior is carried out by voluntarily entered information in forms and saving cookies in end devices. Data, including cookies, are used to provide services, improve the user experience and to analyze the traffic in accordance with the Privacy policy. Data are also collected and processed by Google Analytics tool (more).
You can change cookies settings in your browser. Restricted use of cookies in the browser configuration may affect some functionalities of the website.
You can change cookies settings in your browser. Restricted use of cookies in the browser configuration may affect some functionalities of the website.
