Mathieu Lacome

Parma Calcio 1913 · Performance and Analytics

Bongiovanni, T, Lacome, M, Rodriguez, C, and Tinsley, GM. Tracking body composition over a competitive season in elite soccer players using laboratory- and field-based assessment methods. J Strength Cond Res 38(3): e104–e115, 2024—The purpose of this study was to describe body composition changes in professional soccer players over the course of a...

Purpose: The study had 3 purposes: (1) to develop an index using machine-learning techniques to predict the fitness status of soccer players, (2) to explore the index’s validity and its relationship with a submaximal run test (SMFT), and (3) to analyze the impact of weekly training load on the index and SMFT outcomes. Methods: The study involved 50...

To improve soccer performance, coaches should be able to replicate the match’s physical efforts during the training sessions. For this goal, small-sided games (SSGs) are widely used. The main purpose of the current study was to develop similarity and overload scores to quantify the degree of similarity and the extent to which the SSG was able to re...

The aims of this study in elite youth French players were to 1) describe the anthropometric and physical characteristics of international and non-international players from U16 to U20, and 2) compare these characteristics across age categories and playing standard (international or non-international). Altogether, 1423 players from the French Rugby...

Purpose: To investigate the effects of a training camp with heat and/or hypoxia sessions on hematological and thermoregulatory adaptations. Methods: Fifty-six elite male rugby players completed a 2-week training camp with 5 endurance and 5 repeated-sprint sessions, rugby practice, and resistance training. Players were separated into 4 groups: CA...

Purpose: In women's rugby, players regularly interchange between the rugby sevens (R7) and rugby union (RU) formats. Yet, the game demands and particularly the physical aspects respective to both formats vary and players must be able to respond accordingly. The aim of this study was to compare peak running demands in R7 and RU players. Methods:...

Abstract: Previous studies have shown that variation in PlayerLoad (PL) could be used to detect fatigue in soccer players. Machine learning techniques (ML) were used to develop a new locomotor efficiency index (LEI) based on the prediction of PL. Sixty-four elite soccer players were monitored during an entire season. GPS systems were employed to co...

Purpose: Investigate acute locomotor, internal (heart rate (HR) and ratings of perceived exertion (RPE)) and neuromuscular responses to using wearable resistance loading for soccer-specific training. Methods: Twenty-six footballers from a French 5th division team completed a 9-week parallel-group training intervention (intervention group: n = 14...

Background/aim: The impact of the menstrual cycle (MC) on performance is one of the most critical topics in female sports. Hormonal fluctuation and symptoms related to different MC phases can influence performance in professional women soccer players. Indeed, as reported in previous studies, this fluctuation seems to affect parameters related to in...

Purpose: Muscle architecture is associated with motor performance and muscle injury. While muscle architecture and knee-flexor eccentric strength change with growth, the influence of anthropometric measures on these properties is rarely considered. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between hamstring muscle architecture and knee-flex...

We introduce an innovative methodology to identify football players at the origin of threatening actions in a team. In our framework, a threat is defined as entering the opposing team's danger area. We investigate the timing of threat events and ball touches of players, and capture their correlation using Hawkes processes. Our model-based approach...

The aims of this study were to describe differences in the acceleration-speed (A-S) profile in-situ and to assess the week-to-week reliability of the A-S profile in-situ over a given training cycle of elite youth soccer players, in relation to the number of sessions included and analyse the effect of the inclusion or not of a specific sprint sessio...

Huge amounts of money are invested every year by football clubs on transfers. For both growth and survival, it is crucial for recruiting departments to make smart choices when targeting players. Therefore, it is very important to identify the right parameters to monitor to predict market value. The following paper aims at determining the relevant f...

Metabolomics is a promising tool for studying exercise physiology and exercise-associated metabolism. It has recently been defined with the term "sportomics" due to metabolomics' capability to characterize several metabolites in several biological samples simultaneously. This narrative review on exercise metabolomics provides an initial and brief o...

Background: Wearable resistance (WR) training is a modality that allows athletes to perform loaded sport-specific movements to develop force and power outputs. The acute responses by which WR works is still relatively unknown, and the effects of WR load and location of the load has not yet been examined. Objectives: To investigate the acute neur...

Purpose: The aims of this study were to (1) assess the concurrent validity of global positioning systems (GPSs) against a radar device to measure sprinting force-velocity (F-v) profiles and (2) evaluate the interunit reliability of 10-Hz GPS devices (Vector S7, Catapult Innovations). Methods: Sixteen male elite U18 rugby union players (178.3 [7....

Background: The objective of this study was to investigate the association between regional and total phase angle (PhA) with lower-body neuromuscular performance in young elite soccer players. Methods: Sixteen elite male soccer players (14.3 +/- 1.0 years) participated in this study. Lower (LPhA)- and upper (UPhA)-hemisome PhA together with whole-...

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The purpose of the present study was to characterize and compare locomotor and contact loads in U18 and U20 international rugby union competition during matches, and specifically during peak match-play phases using short rolling epochs and continuous ball-in-play (BIP) sequences. 20 international matches from French national teams were analysed in...

Purpose: Sleep is recognised as an important recovery strategy, yet little is known regarding its impact on post-match fatigue. The aims of this study were to 1.) describe sleep and post-match fatigue 2.) understand how sleep is affected by contextual and match factors and 3.) assess how changes in sleep can affect post-match fatigue. Methods: 23 m...

Purpose: To assess the concurrent validity of a continuous blood-glucose-monitoring system (CGM) postbreakfast, preexercise, exercise, and postexercise, while assessing the impact of 2 different breakfasts on the observed level of validity. Methods: Eight nondiabetic recreational athletes (age = 30.8 [9.5] y; height = 173.6 [6.6] cm; body mass =...

To investigate the reliability of the ballistic hip thrust (BHT) test performed on force plates as a diagnostic tool to monitor posterior chain neuromuscular status and compare its usefulness with the counter movement jump (CMJ). Twenty-two male football players from an elite Under-19 French Ligue 1 football club (16.4 ± 0.6 years) performed two as...

Purpose: To compare between-tests changes in submaximal exercise heart rate (HRex, 3 min, 12 km/h) and the speed associated with 4 mmol/L of blood lactate (V4mmol) in soccer players to get insight into their level of agreement and respective sensitivity to changes in players' fitness. Methods: A total of 19 elite professional players (23 [3] y)...

Aim To quantify the occurrence of near-to-maximal speed-running bouts in elite soccer players. Methods Tracking match data from 35 professional players (23 ± 3 yrs) were analysed over four seasons (2015–2019). The number of runs reaching >80, >85 and >90% of players’ individual maximal sprinting speed (MSS) was computed. Differences in peak speed...

The aim of this study was to examine the concurrent validity of the Kinexon local positioning system (LPS) in comparison with the Vicon motion capture system used as the reference. Five recreationally active men performed ten repetitions of linear sprints, medio-lateral side-to-side and handball-specific movements both in the centre and on the side...

Purpose: To explore the effects of travel related to international rugby sevens competition on sleep patterns. Methods: A total of 17 international male rugby sevens players participated in this study. Actigraphic and subjective sleep assessments were performed daily during 2 separate Sevens World Series competition legs (Oceania and America). T...

The objective of this manuscript was to examine the periodization strategy of an international Rugby-7s team during an Olympic season. Training load data were collected in 14 elite male players over a 48-week period during the 2015–2016 Olympic season. The season consisted of 3 macrocycles including: preseason (12-weak duration), in-season (25-weak...

Purpose: During heavily congested schedules, professional soccer players can experience exacerbated fatigue responses, which are thought to contribute to an increased risk of injury. Given that match-induced residual fatigue can last up to 72 hours, many coaches naturally prioritize recovery in the days immediately following match day. While it is...

Purpose: To investigate whether including heat and altitude exposures during an elite team-sport training camp induces similar or greater performance benefits. Methods: The study assessed 56 elite male rugby players for maximal oxygen uptake, repeated-sprint cycling, and Yo-Yo intermittent recovery level 2 (Yo-Yo) before and after a 2-week train...

Purpose: To investigate the convergent validity, reliability, and sensitivity over a week of training of a standardized running test to measure neuromuscular fatigue. Methods: Twenty male rugby union players were recruited for the study, which took place during preseason. The standardized running test consisted of four 60-m runs paced at ~5 m·s-...

Abstract The purpose of this article is to describe the training strategy built by the French Rugby Union to optimize strength and power development in elite rugby union players. The training process is based on 4 stages composed of educational and technical efficiency, work capacity, maximal strength and explosive power. The evolution of the playe...

It is widely recognised that the physical demands in rugby sevens are high especially in comparison to the 15-aside version. The aim of this study was to assess fluctuations in physical performance (running and contact loads) in international rugby sevens competition. Altogether, 32 matches played by an international team in the HSBC World Sevens S...

Aim To compare the effect of low- vs. high-volume of eccentric-biased hamstring training programs on knee-flexor strength and fascicle length changes in elite soccer players. Methods Nineteen elite youth soccer players took part in this study and were randomly assigned into two subgroups. For 6 weeks in-season, groups performed either a low (1 set...

Leduc, C, Jones, B, Robineau, J, Piscione, J, and Lacome, M. Sleep quality and quantity of international rugby sevens players during pre-season. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2019-The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of training load on objective and subjective sleep measures among elite rugby sevens players during pre-seaso...

Abstract Couderc, A, Gabbett, TJ, Piscione, J, Robineau, J, Peeters, A, Igarza, G, Thomas, C, Hanon, C, and Lacome, M. Repeated high-intensity effort activity in international male Rugby Sevens. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000–000, 2018—Rugby Sevens is characterized by repeated high-intensity accelerations, sprinting, and collisions, commonly referr...

The purpose of this study was to (1) provide data on maximal sprinting speed (MSS) and maximal acceleration (Amax) in elite rugby sevens players measured with GPS devices, (2) test the concurrent validity of the signal derived from a radar device and a commercially available 16 Hz GPS device, and (2) assess the between-device reliability of MSS and...

The popularity of high-intensity interval training (HIIT), which consists primarily of repeated bursts of high-intensity exercise, continues to soar because its effectiveness and efficiency have been proven in use by both elite athletes and general fitness enthusiasts. Surprisingly, few resources have attempted to explain both the science behind th...

The popularity of high-intensity interval training (HIIT), which consists primarily of repeated bursts of high-intensity exercise, continues to soar because its effectiveness and efficiency have been proven in use by both elite athletes and general fitness enthusiasts. Surprisingly, few resources have attempted to explain both the science behind th...

Purpose: Preconditioning strategies are considered as opportunities to optimize performance on competition day. While investigations conducted in rugby players on the effects of a morning preconditioning session already exist, additional work is warranted. The aim of this study was to monitor changes in physical and psychophysiological indicators...

Participation in soccer match-play leads to acute and transient subjective, biochemical, metabolic and physical disturbances in players over subsequent hours and days. Inadequate time for rest and regeneration between matches can expose players to the risk of training and competing whilst not entirely recovered. In professional soccer, contemporary...

Purpose: To describe the training periodization in Rugby-7s players competing in the Sevens World Series during a non-Olympic season. Methods: Workload data were collected over a 33-week period in twelve male players participating in a full competitive season. Workload was quantified using session RPE and GPS-derived data during training and com...

Purpose: To examine the ability of multivariate models to predict the HR responses to some specific training drills from various GPS variables and to examine the usefulness of the difference in predicted vs actual HR responses as an index of fitness or readiness to perform. Method: All data were collected during one season (2016-2017) with playe...

Purpose: This study examined the effects of an intensified tournament on workload, perceptual and neuromuscular fatigue and muscle damage responses in an international under-20 rugby union team. Methods: Players were subdivided into two groups according to match-play exposure time: high (HEG, n=13) and low (LEG, n=11). Measures monitored over th...

Purpose This study investigated exposure time, running and skill-related performance in two international u20 rugby union teams during an intensified tournament: the 2015 Junior World Rugby Championship. Method Both teams played 5 matches in 19 days. Analyses were conducted using global positioning system (GPS) tracking (Viper 2™, Statsports Techn...

Blind Global positioning system dataset. (XLSX)

Purpose: To (1) compare the locomotor and heart rate responses between floaters and regular players during both small and large small sided games (SSGs) and (2) examine whether the type of game (i.e., game simulation vs possession game) affects the magnitude of the difference between floaters and regular players. Methods: Data were collected in...

Purpose: To compare the peak intensity of typical Small Sided Games (SSGs) with those of official matches in terms of running demands and mechanical work over different rolling average durations and playing positions. Method: Data were collected in 21 players (25±5 y, 181±7 cm, 77±7 kg) belonging to an elite French football team. SSG data were c...

Purpose: To 1) examine the reliability of field-based running-specific measures of neuromuscular function assessed via GPS-embedded accelerometers and 2) examine their responses to three typical conditioned sessions (i.e., Strength, Endurance and Speed) in elite soccer players. Methods: Before and immediately after each session, vertical jump (CMJ...

Purpose: Peaking for major competition is considered critical for maximizing team sports performance. However, there is little scientific information available to guide coaches in prescribing efficient tapering strategies for team sports players. The aim of this study was to monitor the changes in physical performance in elite team sports players...

Purpose: This study investigated the running-demands and associated metabolic perturbations during an official rugby sevens tournament. Methods: Twelve elite players participated in seven matches wearing Global Positioning System units. Maximal sprinting speed (MSS) and maximal aerobic speed (MAS) were measured. High-intensity threshold was indi...

This study investigated end-game and transient changes in running activities and whether these were concomitantly associated with reductions in skill-related performance in senior international rugby union match-play. Altogether, 18 official matches were analysed (322 individual observations) using computerised video-based tracking and event coding...

Purpose: To assess the impact of two high-intensity interval training (HIT) programs (short-interval vs. sprint-interval training) on muscular strength and aerobic performances within a concurrent training program in amateur rugby sevens players. Methods: Thirty six amateur rugby sevens players were randomly assigned to either strength and short...

PURPOSE: To compare the sensitivity of a sprint versus a countermovement (CMJ) test after an intense training session in international rugby Sevens players, as well as to analyze the effects of fatigue on sprint acceleration. METHODS: Thirteen international rugby sevens players completed two 30-meter sprints and a set of four repetitions of CMJ bef...

Purpose: To compare the sensitivity of a sprint versus a countermovement (CMJ) test after an intense training session in international rugby Sevens players, as well as to analyze the effects of fatigue on sprint acceleration. Methods: Thirteen international rugby sevens players completed two 30-meter sprints and a set of four repetitions of CMJ...

Purpose: The patterns and performance of substitutions were investigated in 18 international 15-a-side male rugby union matches. Methods: A semi-automatic computerised time-motion system compiled 750 performance observations (forwards=422, backs=328) for 375 players. Running and technical performance measures included total distance run, high-in...

This study aimed to determine whether the duration (0h, 6h or 24h) of recovery between strength and aerobic sequences influences the responses to a concurrent training program. Fifty-eight amateur rugby players were randomly assigned to either control (CONT), concurrent training (C-0h, C-6h or C-24h) or strength training (STR) groups during a 7-wee...

Abstract The objective of the study was to describe an original approach to assessing individual workload during international rugby union competitions. The difference between positional groups and between the two halves was explored. Sixty-seven files from 30 French international rugby union players were assessed on a computerised player-tracking...

A l’instar des nombreuses études consacrées à l’analyse de la tâche lors de compétitions de football, ces études quantifient pour chaque joueur la distance totale parcourue, la dis- tance, la durée ainsi que la fréquence dan s des zones d’intensité d’activité. Ces différentes études ont permis de mettre en évidence la nature intermittente de l’acti...

Introduction Rugby is an intermittent high intensity activity, which differs in nature with player position. Forwards are mainly involved in static exertion whereas backwards performed more sprints. Physiological and metabolic responses of repeated-sprint activities specific to field-based time sports had previously been well documented (e.g. (1))...

The Rugby Union Junior (U20) World Championship is a high challenging competition in which each team can play 5 matches in 21 days. The adaptation of the recovery and training load of players is essential and an assessment of the individual player fatigue following match may help to optimize this regulation. The purpose of this study was thus to mo...