High speed movement and change-of-direction demands in modern elite soccer

Abstract

This study examined the high-speed running and change-of-direction (COD) demands of elite professional football players during official matches using GNSS/GPS-based monitoring. Twenty-four male outfield players competing at the highest level of Bulgarian football were analyzed across 103 full-match performances, with external load variables including total distance, distance covered across five speed zones, high-speed and sprint distances, maximal running speed, sprint count, accelerations, decelerations, directional changes, and high metabolic load distance (HMLD). Descriptive statistics were used to assess distributional characteristics and variability, while Pearson's correlation coefficients evaluated relationships between total distance and speed-zone metrics. The results indicated that total distance covered (mean ≈ 9.8 km) exhibited low variability, confirming its reliability as a global indicator of external load.