How to prescribe high intensity interval training for futsal players?

 HIIT in Futsal

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is a training method that can help improve the cardiovascular and metabolic functions of athletes in team sports.

In futsal, HIIT is crucial as explosive and high intensity actions often happen near critical moments in the game.

HIIT has significant effects on VO₂max, repeated sprint ability, change of direction speed, linear speed, and explosive strength in team sports, regardless of the competition level (Stankovic et al., 2023).

Adding Changes of direction in HIIT

Changing direction during high-intensity running is a crucial factor for effective participation in team sports.

The directional changes in HIIT training increase specificity, mimicking game situations and enhancing cardiorespiratory, neuromuscular, and perceptual responses.

HIIT sessions in futsal should include accelerations and decelerations actions and short efforts with pauses to create high-intensity stimuli like game situations, rather than cyclic continuous training.

Identifying the training intensity

The maximum speed attained through a progressive intermittent field test can effectively inform high-intensity intermittent training for both male and female futsal athletes. 

Recent research indicates beneficial adaptations in female players (Teixeira et al., 2019) and male players (Campos et al., 2021) following intermittent high-intensity interval training in futsal.

In this article we describe the Futsal Intermittent Endurance Test (FIET), that was developed to assess the intermittent endurance in futsal. The researchers that designed this test analyzed ten Spanish Futsal League games to best approach futsal demands, and concluded that:

• mean effort time during games are 8.9 ± 1.1 seconds;
• pauses last around 12.2 ± 1.34 between efforts
• games have an effort:pause ratio of 1:1,4;

The Futsal Intermittent Endurance Test (FIET) incorporates a fixed distance of 15 meters repeated three times (totaling 45 meters) with 180º direction changes to simulate the distances encountered in futsal attacks and counterattacks. Researchers have demonstrated that training intensities are calibrated based on the peak speed achieved during the FIET (Castagna & Barbero-Álvarez, 2010).

A shuttle-run protocol featuring more directional changes was found to enhance physiological and physical performance measures, such as running economy and repeated-sprint ability, more effectively than a running model with fewer directional changes, applicable to both female and male futsal players.

Strength and conditioning specialists should consider that the number of changes of direction (COD) performed per running bout is a key variable in managing the individual acceleration load on players during training sessions (Akenhead & Nassis, 2016; Fessi et al., 2018).

Prescribing HIIT in the real world of futsal

Carminatti's doctoral thesis proposes a HIIT method for futsal players. It includes four options combining intensity, volume, and external load density, aiming to follow sports training principles and offer variability during a competitive season.

This method allows groups of athletes to train at different speeds simultaneously using an audio signal set at 3.75 seconds, causing training distances between 12 and 18 meters in shuttle runs.

Advantages include easy quantification and control of individualized external load (intensity and volume), group application with varying training conditions, and specific cone distances on the training court.

Some intermittent HIIT models

As is common in athletic training, this method involves:

ü  Conducting a high number of high-intensity runs with brief recovery periods,

ü  Running short distances in a shuttle run system (between 13 and 17 meters),

ü  Performing sudden accelerations and decelerations due to constant 180º directional changes, like the FIET test.

 

Table 1 – Four HIIT models for futsal players

	Type
Variable	1	2	3	4
Intensity (%PSFIET)	86-91	89-94	86-91	83-88
Set number	3	4	4-5	4-5
Set duration (min)	7-8	5-6	4	4
Set duration (s)	367.5	270	255	270
Total volume (min)	29-32	29-33	25-32	25-32
Bout duration (s)	3.75	3.75	3.75	3.75
Number of bouts per repetition	2	2	2	4
Total bout duration (s)	7.5	7.5	7.5	15
Rest between Bouts (s)	10	10	7.5	15
Total bouts duration + rest	17.5	17.5	15	30
Number of repetitions per set	24-28	18-21	17	9
Number of repetitions per session	72-84	72-84	68-85	36-45
Number of COD per repetition	1	1	1	3
Number of COD per set	28	21	17	27
Number of COD per session	84	84	85	135

 

Carminatti notes that the 7-8 minute durations in option 1 reflect the mean time that coaches keep players on the futsal court (4-5 minutes). He also mentions that training load can be measured by running speed (km/h), relative to peak speed from the FIET (83-94%).

In futsal, physical demands are often quantified by relative distance covered per match:

ü  Spanish professional players cover 117-121 m/min (Barbero-Alvarez et al., 2008; Castagna et al., 2009)

ü  Australian elite players reach up to 140 m/min (Drogamaci et al., 2015)

To calculate relative distance, divide the total distance an athlete covers by their time on the court. In the FIET training method, relative distance is calculated for each training session by dividing the distance by the total set time (including pauses) to show the external load density.

Table 2 - Comparison between 4 options that make up the FIET training method (option 1 with 3 sets of 8 min; option 2 with 4 sets of 6 min; option 3 with 5 sets of 4 min; option 4 with 5 sets of 4 min), taking as an example a PV of 16.2 km^.h^-1:

Variable	1	2	3	4
Training velocity (km/h)	14,4	14,9	14,4	13,9
Training Velocity (%PSFIET)	88,9	92,0	88,9	85,8
Relative distance (m.min-1)	105	110	124	123
Repetition distance (m)	15,0	15,5	15,0	14,5

 

Table 2 also shows that option 4 has a lower percentage of PV compared to other options. However, it also results in a higher number of sudden brakings per training session (135 vs. 84-85), which is approximately 50 more instances than the other options.

This indicates a higher physiological load due to the eccentric contractions involved in braking, compared to options 1, 2, and 3.

Final Recommendations

This method allows you to train athletes at varying speeds together by setting different distances for the same time interval (e.g., 3.75s audio signal).

Training distances can range from 12 to 18 meters, enabling a group of athletes to train at different speeds on the same court.

 

REFERENCES

Akenhead, R., & Nassis, G. P. (2016). Training load and player monitoring in high-level football: Current practice and perceptions. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 11(5), 587–593. https://doi.org/10.1123/ijspp.2015-0331

Barbero-Alvarez, J. C., Soto, V. M., Barbero-Alvarez, V., & Granda-Vera, J. (2008). Match analysis and heart rate of futsal players during competition. Journal of Sports Sciences, 26(1), 63–73. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640410701287289

Castagna, C., & Barbero-Álvarez, J. C. (2010). Physiological demands of an intermittent futsal-oriented high-intensity test. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 24(9), 2322–2329. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181e347b9

Castagna, C., D’Ottavio, S., Granda Vera, J., & Barbero Alvarez, J. C. (2009). Match demands of professional Futsal: a case study. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 12(4), 490–494. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2008.02.001

Drogamaci, S., Watsford, M., & Murphy, A. (2015). Changes in futsal activity profiles in a multiday tournament. J Sports Med Phys Fitness, 55(7–8), 722–729. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.1.5129.4169

Fessi, M. S., Farhat, F., Dellal, A., Malone, J. J., & Moalla, W. (2018). Straight-line and change-of-direction intermittent running in professional soccer players. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 13(5), 562–567. https://doi.org/10.1123/ijspp.2016-0318

Stankovic, M., Djordjevic, D., Trajkovic, N., & Milanovic, Z. (2023). Effects of High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) on Physical Performance in Female Team Sports: A Systematic Review. Sports Medicine - Open, 9(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1186/S40798-023-00623-2/TABLES/3