Key result
SOCCERIndex questionnaire explains ~54% of physical ability variance in male recreational soccer players.
Why the study?
Physical assessment tools used by professional soccer players are rarely available in recreational settings, making simple indicators to estimate physical ability necessary when field testing is not feasible.
Can health status and lifestyle indices accurately estimate physical ability in recreational male soccer players?
Cross-Sectional (n=66)
No
Can health status and lifestyle indices accurately estimate physical ability in recreational male soccer players?
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
A simple questionnaire incorporating six health and lifestyle indices can provide an estimate of physical ability in recreational soccer players when field testing is not feasible.
Soccer is practiced by professionals, amateurs, and recreational players. The physical assessment tools used by professionals are rarely available in recreational settings. Given the widespread participation and potential health benefits of soccer activity, it becomes essential to identify simple and accessible indicators that can help to characterize physical ability in non-professional players. This cross-sectional observational work explores which health status and lifestyle indices can be useful to estimate physical ability in recreational male soccer players when field testing is not feasible. Sixty-six participants volunteered in the study. Five performance field tests were conducted, and a related overall physical ability index (KPItot) was defined, while a questionnaire was developed to investigate nine BIOIndices (BMI, age, physical activity level, job, alcohol consumption, smoking habits, sports career, occurring injuries, medical history). Data for the selected performance tests are reported for the recruited recreational athletes. KPItot was estimated from BIOIndices, using a stepwise backward regression. The selected model, named SOCCERIndex, incorporates six out of nine BIOIndices, excluding smoking habits, sports career, and medical history (R2 = 0.536). In conclusion, with a simple questionnaire, an estimate of soccer players’ physical ability can be obtained. Further data collection is needed to obtain a more generalizable and robust SOCCERIndex.
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Lazzari et al. (2026) conducted a cross-sectional in Male recreational soccer players, physically active and healthy, excluding those with recent lower limb surgery or injury in past 6 months (n=66). SOCCERIndex questionnaire vs. Physical in-field testing (KPItot) was evaluated on Overall physical ability composite score (KPItot), average of soccer-specific KPIs from 5 field tests (Yo-Yo IR1, RSA, CMJ, SLJ, 30 m sprint) (R2 0.536, adjusted R2 0.497 for regression model explaining KPItot from questionnaire BIOIndices). The SOCCERIndex questionnaire model explained 53.6% of variance in overall physical ability (KPItot) measured by field tests in male recreational soccer players.
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