Purpose: To manage physical performance in soccer, practitioners monitor the training load (TL) and the resulting fatigue. A method frequently used to assess performance is the countermovement jump (CMJ). However, the efficacy of CMJ to detect fatigue from soccer matches and training remains uncertain, as does the relationship between TL and change in CMJ performance. The aims of the present study were 2-fold. One was to observe the changes of CMJ force-time components and jump height (JH). The second was to examine dose-response relationships between TL measures and CMJ over a 6-week preseason.
Methods: Twelve male academy soccer players (17 [1] y, 71.2 [5.6] kg, and 178 [5.8] cm) were recruited. Daily changes in CMJ were assessed against baseline scores established before preseason training, along with internal and external TL measures. A series of Bayesian random intercept models were fitted to determine probability of change above/below zero and greater than the coefficient of variation established at baseline. Jumps were categorized into match day minus (MD-) categories where the higher number indicated more time from a competitive match.
Results: JH was lowest on MD - 3 (28 cm) and highest on MD - 4 (34.6 cm), with the probability of change from baseline coefficient of variation highly uncertain (41% and 61%, respectively). Changes to force-time components were more likely on MD - 3 (21%-99%), which provided less uncertainty than JH. Bayes R2 ranged from .22 to .57 between TL measures and all CMJ parameters.
Conclusions: Force-time components were more likely to change than JH. Practitioners should also be cautious when manipulating TL measures to influence CMJ performance.
Keywords: football; neuromuscular; strategy.