Running Momentum as a Potential Complement to Aerobic Speed in Evaluating Performance in Male Football Players
Fahri Safa Cinarli1
, Caner Aygoren2, Aytek Hikmet Guler3, Cíntia França4,5, Élvio Rúbio Gouveia4,5, Monira Aldhahi6
1Faculty of Sport Sciences, Inonu University, Malatya, Türkiye
2Health Sciences Institute, Munzur University, Tunceli, Türkiye
3Beşiktaş Football Club, İstanbul, Türkiye
4Department of Physical Education and Sport, University of Madeira, Funchal, Portugal
5LARSyS, Interactive Technologies Institute, 9020-105 Funchal, Portugal
6Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Keywords: Acceleration, athletic performance, football, oxygen consumption, running
Abstract
Objective: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between commonly observed performance variables in football and aerobic-based test outcomes, with a particular focus on the role of running momentum as a complementary measure.
Materials and Methods: Sixteen elite youth male football players (age:17.88 ± 0.61 years) were assessed for acceleration, agility, lower limb one-repetition maximum (1-RM) strength, and estimated VO2max. Correlation and regression analyses examined the relationships between final running velocity, running momentum, and key performance indicators.
Results: Final running velocity correlated positively with acceleration (r = 0.55, p < 0.05) and VO₂max (r = 0.78, p < 0.001), and negatively with agility time (r = -0.67, p < 0.05), while no significant association was found with leg press strength (r = 0.43, p > 0.05). In contrast, running momentum displayed large positive correlations with acceleration (r = 0.70, p < 0.01) and leg press strength (r = 0.78, p < 0.01), and a strong negative correlation with agility time (r = -0.78, p < 0.01). Regression analyses showed that VO₂max was the strongest outcome explained by running velocity, accounting for 60% of its variance, while momentum explained 28%. Furthermore, velocity accounted for 19-44% of the variance in acceleration, agility, and strength outcomes, whereas momentum explained 52-61%.
Conclusions: Running momentum demonstrated stronger associations with agility, leg press strength, and acceleration, while final running velocity was more closely related to VO₂max. These findings suggest that running momentum serves as a complementary and strength-oriented indicator to aerobic speed in evaluating the neuromuscular and mechanical performance of youth football players.
Cite as: Cinarli FS, Aygoren C, Guler AH, França C, Gouveia ÉR, Aldhahi M. Running momentum as a potential complement to aerobic speed in evaluating performance in male football players.Turk J Sports Med. 2026; https://doi.org/10.47447/tjsm.0971
The approval for this study was obtained from Ethics Committee for Clinical Research at Inonu University (Decision no: 2023/2296, Date: 14/12/2023) and was conducted in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Informed consent was obtained from all the participants.
Concept – FSC, CA, AHG; Design – FSC, CA; Supervision – FSC, CF, ERG, MA; Materials – CA, AHG; Data Collection and/or Processing – FSC, CA, AHG; Analysis and/or Interpretation – FSC; Literature Review – FSC, CF; Writing – FSC, CF, ERG, MA; Critical Review – FSC, CA, AHG, CF, ERG, MA. All authors approved the final version of the manuscript.
The authors declared no conflicts of interest with respect to authorship and/or publication of the article.
The authors received no financial support for the research and/or publication of this article.
The authors would like to thank all athletes and coaches who participated in the study for their cooperation and commitment.
