Introduction: Warm-up (WU) routines are widely explored and commonly accepted for optimizing performance and preventing injury. However, official international pre-match protocols may require players to passively rest for approximately 15 minutes in the time-course between WU and the beginning of the match. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the contribution of different re warm-up (re-WU) strategies on the physical performance of football players. Methods: Twenty-two Portuguese elite under-19 football players participated in the study conducted during the competitive season. 4 protocols (WU + re-WU) were tested in 4 consecutive days. The protocols differed only in the re-WU strategy applied after the standardized WU: without re-WU (CON), eccentric re-WU (ECC), plyometric re-WU (PLY) and repeated changes of direction re-WU (RCOD). Vertical jump (counter movement, CMJ; and abalakov, AJ) and Sprint capacity (10-m and 20-m) were tested immediately after WU and 12 minutes after WU. The re-WU strategies were performed 6 minutes after WU. Magnitude-based inferences and precision of estimation were employed in data analysis. Results: Both CMJ and AJ performances presented a likely/very likely improvement after PLY intervention (~3.8% in CMJ and ~4.8% in AJ) when compared to CON. PLY also showed a moderate very likely beneficial effect in 10-m (Cohen d; ±90%CL, -0.7; ±0.3) and a moderate most likely beneficial effect in 20-m (ES=-0.9; ±0.3) performances. The RCOD presented a likely/possible beneficial effect to CMJ and AJ, and a moderate likely/most likely beneficial effect to 10-m and 20-m sprint performances. Different practical implications may be taken from the ECC since there was a -5.1±5.6% decrease in CMJ height from post-WU to re-WU which suggests a possible harmful effect when compared to CON. Discussion: The absence of re-WU activities in the time-course between the WU and the beginning of the match may be detrimental to players` physical performance. However, the inclusion of re-WU exercises prior to match is a very delicate issue, since the manipulation of volume, intensity and recovery may positively or negatively affect the subsequent performance (Robbins, 2005). In fact, our research shows that eccentric exercise prior a football match may be harmful for physical performance. However, plyometric and repeated changes of direction exercises seem to be efficient active strategies to attenuate losses in vertical jump and sprint capacity after WU.
© Copyright 2016 21st Annual Congress of the European College of Sport Science (ECSS), Vienna, 6. -9. July 2016. Published by University of Vienna. All rights reserved.