ABSTRACT
The energy for rapid development of muscle force is provided through anaerobic pathways. Activities such as jumping, striking the ball or sprinting short distances are largely anaerobic. On average, an outfield player must undertake a high-intensity effort every 30 s and an all-out sprint every 90 s, and there is a change in the level of activity once every 4-5 s. Whilst anaerobic activities occur less frequently than do bouts of aerobic exercise at lower intensity, they often contribute to the winning or losing of a game. Their superior speed over short distances was found to distinguish professional soccer players from other games players more than aerobic measures (Strudwick et al., 2002). It is essential therefore that anaerobic energy systems are trained in conjunction with aerobic mechanisms.
