ORIGINAL ARTICLE  EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOMECHANICS 

The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness 2022 May;62(5):595-601

DOI: 10.23736/S0022-4707.21.12256-X

Copyright © 2021 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

lingua: Inglese

Staying on the ball during COVID-19 pandemic: impact on training modalities in football players

Dominik SCHÜTTLER ^{1, 2, 3} ✉, Wolfgang HAMM ^{1, 2}, Simone KRAMMER ¹, Julius STEFFEN ^{1, 2}, Eileen DEUSTER ⁴, Michael LAUSEKER ⁵, Florian EGGER ⁶, Tim MEYER ⁶, Stefan BRUNNER ¹

¹ Department of Medicine I, University Hospital of Munich, Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU) of Munich, Munich, Germany; ² German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Munich, Munich Heart Alliance (MHA), Munich, Germany; ³ Institute of Surgical Research at the Walter-Brendel-Centre of Experimental Medicine, University Hospital of Munich, Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU) of Munich, Munich, Germany; ⁴ Institute for Didactics and Medical Education in Medicine (DAM), University Hospital of Munich, Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU) of Munich, Munich, Germany; ⁵ Faculty of Medicine, Institute for Medical Information Processing, Biometry, and Epidemiology, University Hospital of Munich, Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU) of Munich, Munich, Germany; ⁶ Institute of Sports and Preventive Medicine, Saarland University, Saarbrücken, Germany

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 pandemic has affected worldwide sports competitions and training in both amateur and professional leagues. We thus aimed to investigate changes in different training modalities in elite and amateur football players following COVID-19 lockdown in March 2020.
METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, we applied a Likert Scale-based questionnaire with 20 items to quantify and classify time spent at standard training methods in 47 professional and 54 amateur football players from 12 Austrian clubs before and during lockdown. Additionally, McLean Score was calculated to assess perceived training fatigue.
RESULTS: Weekly amount of training time at endurance exercises (cycling) increased in both professional (37.5 [IQR 46.5] min/week vs. 187.5 [IQR 127.5] min/week, P<0.001), and amateur players (0.0 [IQR 45.0] min/week vs. 37.5 [IQR 112.5] min/week, P=0.015) during COVID-19 lockdown. Time on diverse muscle strengthening workouts was significantly elevated in both cohorts. Total training time at ball declined for professionals (from 472.5 [IQR 150] min/week to 15.0 [IQR 112.5] min/week, P<0.001) and amateurs (from 337.5 [IQR 285] min/week to 0.0 [IQR 37.5] min/week, P<0.001). Video-guided training was intensified in both groups (P<0.001 each). Location shifted from football fields and gyms to home and outdoors. Overall McLean Score remained unchanged in amateurs (P=0.42) while elite players showed a trend towards an increase (P=0.056).
CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19 lockdown compromised football training, especially training concepts with ball. Consequently, resulting changes in exercise loads and muscular burden might impact susceptibility for injuries and impair performances especially in amateur players, especially as they lacked training supervision and professional training plans. Minimum effective dose of training workload to maintain endurance- and neuromuscular-related performance parameters should be prescribed.

KEY WORDS: COVID-19; Exercise; Soccer; Athletic performance; Wounds and injuries