What is High Speed Running?
We have developed a metric that tracks the distance you have covered over 5.5m/s (19.8km/h). Measured in meters or yards, the HSR distance tracks all those lung bursting runs, overlaps on the wings or tracking back to help your teammates. Pro players can tally upwards of 1,100 meters during a game depending on tactics and position played, covering 10-15% of their total distance at HSR.
High speed running for athletes is important for several reasons. Firstly, it allows players to quickly get past defenders and create scoring opportunities. A player with a combination of a high max speed and endurance can outrun the defenders and create space for themselves or for the teammates to score. Secondly, high speed running is also important for defensive purposes, as it allows players to close down space and pressure opposing players who are trying to build up an attack. Additionally, high speed running can help players improve their overall aerobic endurance, which is crucial for maintaining a high level of performance throughout training or on gameday and studies have shown that using the STATSports tracker will increase your HSR by up to 13.6%.
High Speed Running: Separating the best from the rest
The amount of high-speed running is what distinguishes top-class players from those at a lower level. Computerised time-motion analysis has demonstrated that international top-class players perform 28% more high-intensity running (2.43 vs. 1.90 km) and 58% more sprinting (650 vs. 410 m) than professional players at a lower level.
At first glance, it is very interesting that high-intensity activities cover only 10% of the total distance covered. However, the key moments of the match happen in these activities. Therefore, it would be very logical to mark it as a priority in the training of athletes. In addition, most research indicates that the volume of high-intensity activities during the match is constantly increasing, which singles out the physical preparation of players as a key factor. The physiological responses and associated metabolic and mechanical adaptations induced by HSR and sprinting efforts may have a key role for the long-term physical development and overall athletic performance of soccer players.
All this indicates more than enough the importance of inclusion and periodization of HSR and sprinting in football training. It appears safe to conclude that the top-class player has to be able to perform repeated high-intensity exercise and also that innumerable factors influence the distance covered in a game, including physical capacity, technical qualities, playing position, tactical role and style of playing.