Sprinting force-velocity and acceleration-speed profiling in elite soccer to augment performance and mitigate hamstring injury risk: A Narrative Review with practical applications

Stockdale, Robert and Dos’Santos, Thomas and McDaid, Kevin and Nagy, Philip and Gaffney, Christopher and Barry, Timothy (2025) Sprinting force-velocity and acceleration-speed profiling in elite soccer to augment performance and mitigate hamstring injury risk: A Narrative Review with practical applications. Strength and Conditioning Journal. ISSN 1524-1602

Text (Narrative Review Author Accepted)
Narrative_Review_Author_Accepted.docx - Accepted Version
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution.
Download (4MB)

Abstract

Force-velocity profiling (FVP) during linear sprinting is emerging in elite soccer to assess sprint acceleration performance and mitigate hamstring muscle injury (HMI) risk. Acceleration-speed profiling (ASP) has been introduced as an FVP alternative, using global positioning system (GPS) already employed in elite soccer for load monitoring, but interchangeability between these approaches is unclear. Profiling methods must be valid and reliable to assess FVP or ASP, helping practitioners orient training and rehabilitation, potentially mitigate injury risk, and improve sprint acceleration. This review provides a critical overview of FVP and ASP techniques, profile changes, and the potential association with HMI risk in elite soccer. FVP from linear sprint testing remains the reference for evaluating sprint performance, but ASP in situ, using GPS data from routine play, offers an ecologically valid alternative, challenging the need for structured sprint protocols (invisible monitoring). The practical benefits of ASP in situ allow profiling to be conducted passively, provided adequate validity and reliability is obtained. Practitioners can combine FVP and ASP to monitor sprint variables in elite soccer, including maximal horizontal force (F0), running velocity (V0), and profile orientation (FVslope). This guides adjustments in training loads and interventions to enhance performance, reduce injury incidence, and support return-to-play protocols, contributing to injury management.