COMPARISON OF THE RUNNING PARAMETERS IN MORNING AND EVENING TRAININGS OF ELITE SOCCER PLAYERS

Purpose: Although there are many studies in the literature regarding the running of soccer players, there is a need to examine the running asymmetry of the athletes' actual training, regardless of a specific intervention protocol. The aim of this study was to compare the running asymmetry of healthy elite soccer players in training sessions at different times of the day. Methods: Sixteen healthy male elite soccer players were included in this study. Global Positioning System units (GPSports, SPI Pro, 5 Hz, GPSport, Canberra, Australia) were used to define training and running details. Fourteen (7 morning, 7 evening) training data were evaluated. Results: There was no statistical difference between morning and evening trainings in terms of training time, heart rate average and total running distance except for high speed running distance. Running asymmetry was 66% greater in evening training sessions than in morning training sessions (p=0.001; 4.13±1.92, 2.49±1.32 respectively). Running asymmetry did not show any significant correlation with training time, heart rate average, running distance, and high speed running distance (p>0.05). Conclusion: Running asymmetry is higher in evening training sessions than in morning training sessions. Therefore, for athletes who are particularly at high risk of injury or who are in the process of a return to sports, and from whom high performance is not expected, morning trainings may be preferred instead of evening trainings. If training can not be performed in the morning, clinicians should follow the athletes instantly during evening training.