Physiological profile of Asian elite youth soccer players

The purposes of this study were to provide information about the physiological characteristics of Asian elite youth soccer players (a) for strength and conditioning specialists to design training program based on players' physiological characteristics and b) for coach to design an appropriate play tactic. Sixteen Chinese elite youth male players (height: 173 +/- 5.2 cm; weight: 64.2 +/- 8.1 kg; and age: 16.2 +/- 0.6 years) from the U-17 national team participated in the following tests in the current study: (a) maximal vertical jump, (b) isokinetic muscular strength tests of knee joint at angular velocities of 60, 120, 180, 240, and 300 degrees x s, (c) maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max), (d) 1 repetition maximum (1RM) strength test, and (e) 30-m sprint. Compared with European and African players, Asian youth players have less jump height and shorter body height. They also have poor performance in isokinetic muscular strength of quadriceps and hamstrings (especially at high speed), VO2max, 1RM strength test, sprint starts, and 20- to 30-m sprints. A specialized training in jumping performance, high-speed movement, muscular strength at high contraction speed, endurance running, short distance sprint (i.e., 5 m), and 20- to 30-m sprints are recommended for Asian elite youth soccer players (or players with similar physique and ability).