ABSTRACT
The recent COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a total lockdown of the major football leagues, aiming to prevent the threat of an uncontrolled spread of infections, and forcing the players and match officials to home-based physical training. Differently from players, no health and physical fitness maintenance guidelines were published for match officials. Before the return to structured conditioning and officiating, match officials must perform a medical assessment, as well as systematic COVID-19 testing and detailed pulmonary function evaluation. The hygienic-sanitary prevention strategies for virus transmission must be strictly followed. In the remaining part of the present season, alterations of the game rules, namely halves of 30-40 min and no allowance for lost time, aiming to reduce the match officials physiological load may result as a safer option. Nonetheless, match officials' cognitive and physical demands, will probably be exacerbated by the increased number of substitutions per game, proposed to reduce players' match load. The proposed match scenario further stresses the importance of well-developed aerobic and anaerobic fitness in elite level match officials. Therefore, the aim of this paper was to guide a safe and successful return to play for match officials.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The side effects of the 11+ on performance have not been generally reviewed. The objective of this study was to synthesize the literature on the effects of the 11+ on players' performance. METHODS: Five online databases (PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect, Springer, and Google Scholar) were searched (from April 2006 to March 2022) using predefined keywords and sub-keywords. The potential references were primarily recorded through Endnote and imported to Covidence. Out of the 123 references screened by 2 blinded researchers through the software, 59 full texts were assessed for eligibility, 33 of which were ultimately included. The quality of the studies and the risk of bias were then assessed. Study ID, title, place, aim, design, start/end dates, population description, study criteria, statistical analysis, and outcomes were extracted. RESULTS: Studies were conducted on male and female players aged 10-32 years old. The quality of the studies was moderate to high, and except for unclear bias for blinding outcome assessment, the risk of bias for all domains was low. Long-term application of the 11+ improved most biomechanical measures and physiological responses except for lower extremity stability, ankle evertors time latency, ankle dorsiflexion, and proprioception. Conversely, the 11+ showed acute negative effects on physical performance compared to dynamic warm-ups and non-significant effects on technical abilities. CONCLUSION: Mid-to-long term implementation of the 11+ improved the majority of biomechanical and a couple of physical measures but showed no effects on technical skills. Precaution must be observed for using the 11+ before competitions, as it could acutely decrease physical/technical performance. Given the contradictory nature of the literature, further studies should evaluate the short-to-mid-term effects of the 11+. Further studies are required to address ankle responses to the 11+ intervention.
ABSTRACT
Research question: The recent COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a total lockdown of the major football leagues, aiming to prevent the threat of an uncontrolled spread of infections, and forcing the players and match officials to home-based physical training. Differently from players, no health and physical fitness maintenance guidelines were published for match officials. Therefore, the aim of this paper was to guide a safe and successful return to play for match officials. Research methods: Before the return to structured conditioning and officiating, match officials must perform a medical assessment, as well as systematic COVID-19 testing and detailed pulmonary function evaluation. The hygienic-sanitary prevention strategies for virus transmission must be strictly followed. Results and findings: In the remaining part of the present season, alterations of the game rules, namely halves of 30-40 min and no allowance for lost time, aiming to reduce the match officials physiological load may result as a safer option. Nonetheless, match officials' cognitive and physical demands, will probably be exacerbated by the increased number of substitutions per game, proposed to reduce players' match load. The proposed match scenario further stresses the importance of well-developed aerobic and anaerobic fitness in elite level match officials.