ANALYSIS OF AEROBIC POWER OF SOCCER PLAYERS THROUGH FIELD TEST AND LABORATORY TEST

Introduction: There are direct and indirect methods that are used by soccer clubs to assess, monitor and determine the VO2max of soccer players, which is very important for the performance and recovery of athletes during a match. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the level of the correlation between measures of VO2max by direct gas analysis and by the field test Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Level 1 (Yo-Yo IR1). Methods: The study included 24 Brazilian male soccer players from under 20 category, of a club in the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil with stature of 1.72 +/- 0.08 meter and body mass of 61.17 +/- 9.18 kg, with at least five years of practice in the sport. The athletes performed the direct analysis of gases test on a treadmill 48 hours later the Yo-Yo IR1 was performed. Results: The results revealed a significant correlation between tests (r=0.524; p< 0.01), but Yo-Yo IR1 underestimated measures of direct analysis of gases in the laboratory (44.98ml/kg/min and 48.14ml/kg/min, respectively). Conclusion: The results showed a moderate correlation between measures of VO2max, that way both tests can be used to analyze the aerobic power of soccer players, since the same protocol is repeated in subsequent evaluations.