Do you know your sprint distance from your top speed data? Thanks to our resident sports scientist, Chris Barnes, we will explain what each metric measures, the numbers you should be aiming for and what professionals achieve.
Sprint distance
Sprint Distance will be the best indicator of high intensity work carried out in your session. This metric is the distance accumulated whilst running at high speed/sprinting (over 5m/s / 11.2mph). 300m – 500m of Sprint Distance would likely be recorded for a professional athlete in a game. For aspiring players, this varies considerably, ranging from 100m Sprint Distance covered, to 350m. A key insight into the intensity of a game or training session, sprint distance is a metric top clubs pay special attention to. Being able to move at speed is one thing, but repeatability is the cornerstone to a successful footballer’s game.
Top speed
Top speed is the highest speed a player records during any given session. Professional athletes have been seen to record anything up to 10m/s or 22.4mph. A top speed of 8.5 m/s or 19mph would be considered a very good speed for a young aspiring player to reach. If you’ve got the need for speed, how quick you can run at full throttle is an important metric for every position on the pitch. From Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to Kyle Walker, speed is one of the deadliest weapons in a footballer’s arsenal and an indicator worth keeping an eye on.
Power
Your Power score will be the total of your high accelerations and decelerations, and the number of sprints to give an indication of your performance intensity level for that session. ‘Power’ is the metric that will probably vary the most between players and positions. Professionals would likely generate a Power score between 60 – 80; whilst a very good result for a non-professional player would be 50 – 60 in a 90min 11-a-side game. The most explosive players have high power scores and considering football is a high-intensity sport, this is a metric the very best are constantly working to improve.
Total Distance
Total distance is the amount of distance covered during a match or training session. In the Premier League, positions that typically cover the highest total distance are midfielders and fullbacks – this can be from anything up to 13km / 8miles in a game. For an aspiring player, a good total distance to aim for would be around 10km / 6.2miles depending on your position and age. If you’re looking to get fitter and put in the hard yards then you need to pay attention to how much distance you cover, because covering ground is a fantastic gauge of your overall endurance and fitness.
If you want to measure these metrics for yourself but haven’t got your hands on Catapult One yet, you can purchase here.
