Foam rolling during a simulated half-time attenuates subsequent soccer-specific performance decrements

The passive nature of the half-time period with soccer/football can result in second-half performance decrements. As foam rolling (FR) can increase range of motion, neuromuscular efficiency, and enhance arterial function, the inclusion of FR during half-time may attenuate performance decrements. The objective of this acute study was to compare FR versus passive recovery during a simulated half-time period on simulated second-half soccer pass, sprint performance as well as quality of recovery. Thirteen male soccer players simulated a soccer match by performing two bouts of 15 × 20 m sprints with 30-s rest intervals. The bouts were separated by 10-min with either a passive recovery or they performed five FR exercises on both legs for 45-s each with 15-s rest. Tests were conducted before and following the simulated half-time period and consisted of Total Quality of Recovery (TQR), Loughborough Soccer Pass Test (LSPT), blood lactate (LAC), and sprint velocity of the simulated soccer match. Heart rates (HR) were recorded at the end of each test session and each sprint. Results showed no significant changes between conditions for TQR, LSPT, LAC and HR. However, while all sprint speed measures (mean, best of 15 sprints and mean of the first 5 sprints) significantly decreased with the passive condition, no decrement was noted with all sprint measures with the FR condition; there was only a significant (p = 0.001; d = 0.63) 2.1% decrease with the mean of the first 5 sprints. In conclusion, there is some evidence that FR may be beneficial to attenuate sprint speed impairments.