Seasonal changes in neuromuscular and biomechanical performance in female soccer players: Implications for athlete monitoring

Purpose To quantify phase-specific changes in neuromuscular and biomechanical performance across a competitive season in female varsity soccer players using field-based sprint testing and laboratory measures of jumping, balance, reaction time, landing, and coordination. Methods Twenty-five players (age 20.40 ± 1.98 years) were assessed at pre-, mid-, and post-season. Laboratory measures included countermovement jump, broad jump, L-hop, balance, reaction time, and squat inter-joint coordination, with field sprint times over 10–60 m. Seasonal changes were analyzed using generalized estimating equations ( p ≤ .05). Results Sprint times increased from pre- to mid-season for 10 m (mean difference [MD] = 0.187 s, 95% CI: 0.070 to 0.304, p < .001), 20 m (MD = 0.177 s, 95% CI: 0.100 to 0.253, p < .001), and 40 m (MD = 0.137 s, 95% CI: 0.017 to 0.256, p = .019). Bilateral countermovement jump height decreased from pre- to mid-season (MD = −0.042 m, 95% CI: −0.074 to −0.011, p = .005) and pre- to post-season (MD = −0.063 m, 95% CI: −0.100 to −0.027, p < .001). Lower-limb complex reaction time increased from pre- to post-season (MD = 0.061 s, 95% CI: 0.014 to 0.109, p = .006), and right knee-ankle mean absolute relative phase increased from pre- to mid-season (MD = 1.70°, 95% CI: 0.15 to 3.24, p = .025). Conclusions Performance changed in a task-specific manner across the season. Sprint time, countermovement jump height, reaction time, and squat coordination provided complementary information for multi-domain athlete monitoring, although injury-risk reduction was not directly tested.