Analysis of football players physical abilities for transition from junior to professional football
P. Nyagin
Abstract: The level of physical abilities as a prerequisite for success in football is a theme of interest for coaches. The knowledge is getting deeper and becomes a tool for explaining the advance in sport worldwide. We are focused on the physical abilities of men and junior football players in PFC Levski. The juniors are divided into two teams where in one group the adolescents have been selected for the representative team of PFC Levski, and the other group is part of the second team of the club. Therefore, the purpose of our research is to reveal the characteristics which play a role in the selection of players and to apply the knowledge into practice. The aim of the research was to record the gathered data. Then, we analyzed the results to discover the factors for the juniors’ selection for professional football. Results: Based on the work with One-Way ANOVA test we uncovered the supremacy in physical abilities of men over juniors U19 in SLJ (standing long jump with two feet), velocity at 5 m, 10 m, 20 m (all from standing start) and coordinational speed (agility). Discussion: The differences in the opinions of authors reveal that there is no single correct approach in physical preparation of footballers. It must be noted that the development of speed, coordination, endurance, speed-strength abilities are very dynamic during the junior period. Therefore, the results at this time must not lead to hasty conclusions about the level of these skills. While some authors emphasize on the importance of endurance, others highlight the need for explosive strength, power, speed or coordinational speed. Conclusion: The multiple comparison of non-related samples with Tukey’s HSD reveals that the men’s group is better than all juniors. However, the U19 juniors who were selected for the representative team of PFC Levski have closest results to these of the men’s team.
Series on Biomechanics, Vol.39, No.1(2025), 31-38
DOI: 10.7546/SB.03.03.2025
Keywords: football; juniors; physical abilities; selection
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| Date published: 2025-10-28
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