162768 20251017144628.0 doi 10.3390/app15168936 sideral 145241 ART-2025-145241 eng Moreno-Azze, Alejandro Universidad de Zaragoza (orcid)0000-0001-7652-2866 Differences in Accelerations and Decelerations Across Intensities in Professional Soccer Players by Playing Position and Match-Training Day 2025 Access copy available to the general public Unrestricted Accelerations and decelerations are critical components of soccer performance, reflecting mechanical load and injury risk, with understanding positional and temporal variations essential for optimizing training prescription. This study analyzed acceleration and deceleration demands in professional soccer players across playing positions and training microcycle phases. Twenty-five professional soccer players (26.6 ± 4.50 years) from a Spanish Second Division team were monitored using 18 Hz GPS STATSports (Newry, UK) devices during 16 training sessions and 4 official matches over four weeks. Accelerations and decelerations were categorized into six intensity zones (Z1–Z6, 0.5–1 to 5–10 m/s2), with players grouped by position: central defenders (CD), full-backs (FB), central midfielders (CM), attacking midfielders (AM) and forwards (FW). Match day (MD) significantly affected all variables (F > 4.75; p < 0.001, ωp2 = 0.13–0.42), with accelerations showing higher values at MD-2 for Z1, MD for Z2, MD-4 and MD for Z3–Z4, consistently reaching lowest values at MD-1. Decelerations peaked at MD across Z2–Z6, with MD-1 showing minimal preparation values. Positionally, FB exceeded other positions in low-intensity accelerations and decelerations (Z1–Z2), while CM dominated high-intensity decelerations (Z4–Z6). Total accelerations differed significantly by position (FB: 579 ± 163 vs. AM: 494 ± 184 events, p < 0.05). Training acceleration loads adequately replicate match demands, but deceleration preparation remains insufficient, representing a potential injury risk. Position-specific protocols should emphasize deceleration conditioning, particularly for CM and FB. info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/DGA/S53-23R info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/UZ/JIUZ2023-CSJ-02 info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/UZ/JIUZ2023-CSJ-08 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess by https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.es info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion Roldán, Pablo Pradas de la Fuente, Francisco Universidad de Zaragoza (orcid)0000-0002-6829-0775 Falcón-Miguel, David Universidad de Zaragoza (orcid)0000-0001-9252-6971 Gómez-Carmona, Carlos D. Universidad de Zaragoza (orcid)0000-0002-4084-8124 3001 187 Universidad de Zaragoza Dpto. Expres.Music.Plást.Corp. Área Didáctica Expres.Corporal 15, 16 (2025), 8936 [16 pp.] Appl. sci. Applied Sciences (Switzerland) 2076-3417 2954259 http://zaguan.unizar.es/record/162768/files/texto_completo.pdf Versión publicada 2581162 http://zaguan.unizar.es/record/162768/files/texto_completo.jpg?subformat=icon icon Versión publicada oai:zaguan.unizar.es:162768 articulos driver 2025-10-17-14:25:16 ARTICLE