The Importance Of Oxygen Capacity In Football

eam sports, such as football, require a multidisciplinary approach. This means taking into consideration the physiological, psychological, nutritional and biomechanical requirements that the sport demands to reach optimal performance. Physiological demands in athletes increase linear to the demand of the playing level (Gabbett et al 2008). As football is a team sport it fluctuates between physical intensities, high and low, due to eccentric patterns of movement (Drust et al 2007). Yet as the season progresses it is suggested that the athlete 's physiological capacities decrease (Gabbett et al 2008). High aerobic and anaerobic capacity are two factors in which are displayed highly throughout the duration of football matches due to the high intensity actions performed (Shalfawi and Tjelta, 2016). Oxygen capacity is an important physiological factor for a footballer as on average they will cover at least 10km - 12km of ground per game (Ekblom 2012). The extend of the distance covered then suggests they will be close

Along with this the understanding of biomechanical principles controls the players capability required to improve as a player (Blazevich et al, 2016). The biomechanical aspect in football follows a similarly linear movement pattern yet varies regarding the athlete 's ability level and or past injury. For example, the difference between a beginner or a previously injured footballer and an elite footballer is that an elite 's movements would be much more refined and consistent instead of being varied and inconsistent such as the beginner or previously injured athlete. Injury is a factor that will always affect the way in which an athlete will then later carry out a skill or ability due to the changing of individual components of the musculoskeletal system causing a change in mechanical interaction leading to demotion (Lu et al,