ABSTRACT
The amount of work performed by soccer players is lower in the second half of a game (Karlsson, 1969) and muscle glycogen has been observed to decline over the course of a soccer match (Saltin, 1973). Therefore, there is evidence of an association between low work rate and low muscle glycogen stores. Within the game of soccer, work-rate is insufficient for success unless allied to and co-ordinated with the fundamental skills of the game (Reilly and Holmes 1983). Although there is an increasing amount of literature concerning work-rate, there is little research on the influence of match play and fatigue on soccer skill. One of the reasons for this is probably the difficulty in assessing skill performance in a reliable way. Soccer demands a range of skills, including, passing, controlling, trapping and dribbling with the ball. Therefore, it is reasonable to include a dribbling and passing test as a reflection of one of the many skills required by soccer players. The purpose of the present study was to devise two valid and reliable tests that could be used in the investigation of fatigue and soccer skill.
