The Effect of Fatigue on Kicking Velocity in Soccer Players

Soccer is a game in which fatigue can negatively influence players’ performance. Few studies have examined the practical effects of fatigue on soccer performance skills. Thus, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of fatigue, acutely induced by means of a soccer specific circuit on ball velocity. Ten amateur soccer players (age 27.3 ± 5.25 yr; experience 16,8 ± 6.05 yr; level secondary division; body height 1,80 m ± 0,06; body mass 75,7 kg ± 5,78), participated in this study and performed maximal instep kicks before and after the implementation of an intensive, intermittent and repeated exercise protocol. Analysis of variance with repeated measures indicated a significant decrease (p<0.05) in ball velocity after just one round of the fatigue circuit. However, after the third circuit ball velocity increased and after the fifth circuit maximal ball velocity increased yet again (compared to the second circuit) and was not significantly different from before commencement of the fatigue protocol. The results partly confirmed the hypothesis of the negative influence of fatigue upon ball velocity in soccer kicking, demonstrating also some variability in the presented values of ball velocity perhaps theoretically accounted for by the general governor model.