ABSTRACT
This chapter explains to devise and validate a laboratory based simulation of the physical demands of a soccer game and to investigate the influence of CHO ingestion on repeated sprint performance. The simulation was based on the time and motion analysis of Yamanaka et al. The simulation was limited by an inability to take account of the physical demands imposed by activities such as changing direction, heading and tackling, as well as tactical considerations and competitive stress. It aims to develop and validate a laboratory test simulating the physical demands of a soccer game. After familiarisation, each player performed two simulated soccer matches on a non-motorised Woodway treadmill in a double-blind counter-balanced design. Blood lactate concentration, mean post-sprint heart rate and mean post-stand heart rate did not differ between conditions. The results show that carbohydrate ingestion before and at half time of a simulated soccer match elevated blood glucose concentrations but did not improve repeated sprint performance.
