The purpose of this dissertation was to better understand position specific physical qualities and how they relate to high speed running performance throughout the course of a competitive collegiate soccer season. The amount of literature devoted to female soccer players is scarce when compared to the vast amount of literature associated with male soccer players. The objectives of this dissertation were: 1) to determine if playing position has an influence on physical qualities such as speed, change of direction ability, countermovement jump performance, relative strength, rate of force development, and intermittent endurance capacity, 2) investigate the differences between high and lower caliber players as defined by minutes played per match when considering the physical qualities mentioned previously, 3) and finally to assess the influence of physical qualities and playing position on high speed running performance throughout the course of a competitive season. Data from 57 Division I Women’s Collegiate soccer players from a single institution were used. The influence of playing position and caliber of play on physical qualities were assessed using both laboratory and field based testing assessments. It appears that attacking based players (forward, wide midfielder, and attacking midfielder) were faster compared to defensive based players (central defensive midfielder, central defender, and goalkeeper) when assessed during 20 m sprint assessments and change of direction ability assessments. The only variable to differentiate between caliber of play was the Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test – Level 1 (YYIRT1), indicating that higher caliber players possess greater intermittent endurance capacity compared to lower caliber players. Playing position was the major contributor when assessing high speed running performance during competition, explaining almost 70% of the variance. These findings highlight the impact of tactical factors on physical performance during competition and the need for position based assessments to better identify relevant physical qualities with respect to playing position in Division I Women’s Collegiate Soccer players. Further research is needed with a wider range of players from various levels to determine if these findings exist across all levels or are unique to the institution used during these investigations.

The purposes of this dissertation were to examine the phase characteristics of the countermovement jump force-time curve between athletes based on jumping ability, examine the influence of maximal muscular strength on the countermovement jump force-time curve phase characteristics of athletes, and to examine the behavior of the countermovement jump force-time curve phase characteristics over the course of a training process in athletes of varying strength levels. The following are the major findings of these dissertations. The analysis of athletes by jumping ability suggested that proficient jumpers are associated with greater relative phase magnitude and phase impulse throughout the phases contained in the positive impulse of the countermovement jump force-time curve. Additionally, phase duration was not found to differ between athletes based on jumping ability or between male and female athletes. The analysis of athletes based on maximal muscular strength suggested that only unweighted phase duration differs between strong and less-strong athletes. Interestingly, in both investigations based on jumping ability and maximal strength indicated the relative shape of the stretching phase representing the rise in positive force was related to an athlete’s jumping ability (jump height). The results of the longitudinal analysis of countermovement jump force-time phase characteristics identified that these variables can be frequently assessed throughout a training process to provide information of regarding an athlete performance state. Furthermore, based on the contrasting behaviors of many of the countermovement jump force-time curve phase characteristics over time, an athlete’s level of muscular strength may influence how these characteristics are expressed in the context of a training process.

The purpose of this study was to provide a better understanding of the goalkeeper position in order to prepare goalkeepers for competition. The objectives of this study were to characterize the technical and physical demands of an NCAA Division I collegiate goalkeeper over three seasons and examine trends from season to season. Count and frequency for each definition were analyzed. Results show that although the goalkeeper’s technical demands were characterized by engaging in play without action and being in the goal area, the gradually increased use of the feet over three season’s hints on the importance of skills performed with the lower body. Findings suggest that most shots faced by the goalkeeper were from direct attacks, outside the box and from central positions. Foot skills may be relied on with increasing experience. Over the course of three seasons, forward and lateral movements were the most common and second most common.

The isometric mid-thigh pull (IMTP) has been cited often in the scientific literature; however, there is still a lack of agreement as to the ideal body position used during this test, and how body position impacts the relationship between IMTP performance and dynamic performance. Thus, one aim of this dissertation was to compare two different IMTP positions and correlate the kinetic outputs from each position to vertical jump (VJ) performance. Another purpose of this dissertation was analyze which method of data normalization for IMTP force variables best correlates to squat jump (SJ) and countermovement jump (CMJ) performance. In the first study, subjects presented higher force outputs for an upright position (hip angles 145°, knee 125°) when compared to a bent position (hip angles 125°, knee 125°). However, there were no statistical differences among correlations from the two positions when correlating to VJ performance. Thus, we suggest that the upright position should be the one used for research and monitoring due to higher force values presented. The second part of this study was to compare correlations from non-normalized and normalized data from the IMTP to SJ and CMJ. Besides non-normalized data, five common methods of normalization were used – subtracting the body mass force, dividing the forces per body mass, allometric scale, scaling by height (Ford’s scale) and scaling by Sinclair coefficient value. In general, higher value correlations were presented with the non-normalized methods for both jumps – SJ and CMJ. Therefore, when using IMTP data to correlate with VJ performance, there is no need to normalize the data.

The overall purpose of this dissertation was to address mechanistic and performance changes following a peaking phase in individual event and team sport strength-power athletes. This purpose was addressed by conducting 4 separate investigations with track and field athletes, volleyball athletes, and a national level weightlifter. The following are the primary findings from these investigations. Division I collegiate throwers increased competition throwing performance, jumping performance, and preserved muscle architecture characteristics following an overreach and taper. There were moderate decreases in division I female collegiate volleyball athlete’s vastus lateralis muscle thickness with no statistical changes in jumping performance following a taper with no prior overreach in. There were moderate to very large differences in countermovement jump height supercompensation during the peaking phase in favor of the returners over the new players on a similar team of female volleyball athletes. Changes in serum concentrations of inflammatory, hypertrophic and endocrine markers corresponded with alterations in training volume-load and partially explained changes in jump, dynamic mid-thigh pull, and weightlifting performance following multiple competition phases in a national level weightlifter. Additionally, vastus lateralis cross-sectional area can be maintained following a competition phase in a high level weightlifter provided large changes in body mass are not attempted close to competition. The findings of these investigations support the use of overreach and tapering for strength-power athletes and provide an underlying biochemical, morphological, and biomechanical basis for the observed changes in performance.

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Strength and Conditioning for Young Athletes offers an evidence-based introduction to the theory and practice of strength and conditioning for children and young athletes. Drawing upon leading up-to-date research in all aspects of fitness and movement skill development, the book adopts a holistic approach to training centred on the concept of long-term athletic development and the welfare of the young athlete.

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