The Net Physiological Cost of Dribbling a Soccer Ball

Abstract The aim of this study was to establish the net energy cost of dribbling a soccer ball. Eight male footballers ran for 5 min on a treadmill at speeds of 9, 10.5, 12 and 13.5km ·h –1 while dribbling a football against a rebound box; running at each of these speeds without the ball constituted controls. Oxygen uptake (VdotO 2 ), perceived exertion (RPE) and blood lactate levels were measured and compared between the two conditions. The energy expended increased linearly with speed for both exercise modes, the mean increment of 1.24 kcal·min –1 caused by dribbling being independent of the speed of motion. Individual differences in efficiency of dribbling could not be explained by considering different patterns of stride characteristics. Similarly, RPE showed a constant elevation for dribbling over running at each speed, and a linear increase with speed of motion for both modes. Blood lactate increased disproportionately with speed for dribbling, onset of metabolic acidosis being attained at a lower speed for the experimental task. It was concluded that dribbling a ball does significantly increase the energy cost and perceived exertion of motion, as well as inducing disproportionate rises in blood lactate when performed at high speeds. Key Words: soccerVdotO2 perceived exertionblood lactate