A survey investigating professional soccer practitioners' perspectives on monitoring and training high-intensity locomotor actions in English professional football
Paul McGrath, Damian J Harper, Jill AlexanderObjectives
To investigate how practitioners working within English professional football monitor, interpret, and apply high-intensity locomotor actions (HILAs), and to identify key challenges influencing contemporary monitoring and training practices.
Methods
A cross-sectional online survey comprising 19 items was distributed to practitioners working in English Premier League (EPL) and English Football League (EFL) clubs. Twenty-seven practitioners completed the survey (EPL: n = 6; EFL: n = 21). Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics, and qualitative responses were examined using inductive reflexive thematic analysis.
Results
All practitioners used GPS to monitor HILAs during training, and 85% used GPS during matches. Sprint running (82%) and high-speed running (67%) were rated as the most important metrics, whereas accelerations (30%) and decelerations (41%) were considered less important. Absolute threshold strategies predominated across metrics (63–85%), although 30–37% of practitioners reported using combined absolute-relative approaches. Large-sided games (67%) and position-specific drills (37%) were most frequently viewed as effective for preparing players for HILAs. Reflexive thematic analysis identified four themes: standardisation and comparability, integration challenges, individualisation, and communication and translation to practice, highlighting barriers to contextualising and applying locomotor data within professional football.
Conclusions
Although HILA monitoring is firmly embedded within English professional football, practitioners continue to face challenges contextualising, individualising, and communicating locomotor information to support coaching and performance decisions. Greater standardisation and integration of physical, tactical, and contextual information may enhance the applied value of HILA monitoring and support more representative training design.