Effects of rehydration on the physical and technical condition in soccer players

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the effect of rehydration on the physical condition and technique of twelve semi-professional soccer players (21.14 ± 1.69 years) underwent regular soccer training (129 ± 7 min). On one occasion, participants ingest water ad libitum or were hydrated according to standardized recommendations. In each session, temperature, three maximum vertical jump height and accuracy were measured in a four penalty kick with auditory and visual stimulus, before and after the training sessions. The dehydration achieved and the rate of sweating was greater when the players drank freely at will against a recommended rehydration (1.3 ± .8% vs. 0.5 ± 0.6%, p = .01) (730.3 ± 275.6 vs. 516.9 ± 111.2 ml/h, p = .02). The tympanic temperature of a single movement in the session where the hydration scheduled (p = 0.06 vs. p < 0.01), in this case and there was interaction between the treatment and the time (p < 0.01). Jump height after training was higher than the initial (p < 0.01) and also higher than ad libitum group (p = 0.04). In the case of shots there was a significant difference in the time relationship of the treatment (p = 0.01), indicating that hydration was effective to reduce the number of errors. These data indicate that moderate dehydration could affect muscle strength of the leg and reduce motor accuracy during a simulated football penalty kick.