There is only 16.1 kilometers between you and Beckham

During the World Cup

I believe many people eat snacks at home every day.

Watch the game on time

We often hear people comment

Player X is not active in running

So, you know what happens in a game?

How much distance do football players run?

The longer the running distance

The better you play?

How fast can a football player run?

According to FIFA's technical statistics, a professional football player's cumulative running distance in a game is an average of 10,000 meters, the worst is about 6,000 meters, and the best is as high as 12,000 meters. In 90 minutes, the running distance exceeds 12,000 meters.

What is this concept? If the whole game is run at a constant speed, the athletes also need to run at a pace of 7 and a half minutes. In the actual game, of course, it is impossible to run at a constant speed, and there will be a lot of sprints and high-speed running.

Image source network

Beckham once set a record of 16.1 kilometers in the 2001 World Cup preliminaries against Greece, with an average pace of 5 minutes and 35 minutes, which is incredible.

If that is the case, can football players also achieve good results in long-distance running or even marathons?

In fact, there are indeed many football players who have participated in marathons, such as Luis Enrique, who won the La Liga championship with Real Madrid and then moved to Barcelona. He helped Barcelona win two La Liga titles, two Spanish King's Cup titles, one European Cup Winners' Cup title and many other honors. He also served as the captain of Barcelona. After retiring in 2004, he ran 3:14:09 in the New York Marathon the following year. In 2007, he finally set his personal best of 2:58:08 in the Florence Marathon.

Image source network

Can you outrun a World Cup referee?

In order to make the most accurate judgment in a soccer match, the referee should be within 20 meters of the soccer ball. There is only one way to do this: run all over the field. World Cup referees run an average of 6 to 8 miles (9.7 to 12.9 kilometers) per game, and unlike athletes who can take a break occasionally, referees can hardly stop at all. They must keep moving with the ball.

Image source: Xinhua News Agency Chinese referee Ma Ning, who was selected for the 2022 Qatar World Cup referee list, is training

According to a report by Xinwen Morning Post on March 11, 2013, starting from July 2006, the Chinese Football Association has adopted a new method for physical examination of referees and assistant referees in accordance with the relevant regulations of FIFA and AFC:

1. 6 sets of 40m acceleration runs: each test should not exceed 6.2 seconds, the international assistant referee should not exceed 6 seconds, and each set of sprints should be followed by a 1 minute 30 second recovery (walking from the finish line back to the starting point).

2. More than 10 laps of high-intensity interval running: On a 400-meter standard track, start from the curve, run 150 meters in 30 seconds, walk 50 meters in 35 seconds, then run 150 meters and 50 meters. A 400-meter lap counts as one lap, and at least 10 laps are considered a pass, and 12 laps or more are considered excellent.

The 150-meter intervals set by FIFA referees have a passing score of 30 seconds, which is equivalent to a 3:20 per kilometer pace, and 20 sets must be completed in a row. Can you outrun them?

Does running a long distance necessarily mean "playing well"?

An article in "Football Science and Medicine 2020" studied the relationship between ball possession and players' physical performance based on data from 380 La Liga games in the 2018-2019 season.

Image source: Internet "Football Science and Medicine 2020"

The study screened and analyzed the competitive performance of 412 players who played a full 90-minute match and obtained 8468 observations. Players were divided into five different positions: center back (CD), full back (FB), defensive midfielder (DM), offensive midfielder (AM), and forward (FW). Performance was analyzed in terms of total distance covered, low-intensity running (0-14.0km/h), moderate-intensity running (14.1-21.0km/h), high-intensity running (21.0km/h), very high-intensity running (21.1-24.0km/h), and sprint running (>24.0km/h).

The results showed some notable conclusions:

1. Regardless of the specific position, the running distance covered by players on the team with a high ball possession rate is significantly less than that of players on the team with a high, medium, and low ball possession rate. In other words, having a lot of ball possession can shorten the running distance of football players.

2. These differences depend on the specific position of the players. Attacking players (DM, AM and FB) on teams with high ball possession rates run less per minute than those on other teams at all speeds. For example, defenders on teams with very high ball possession rates run 5.2 meters per minute, while defenders on teams with very low, low and high ball possession rates run 7.8, 7.3 and 6.7 meters per minute, respectively.

3. The defenders of the team with the least ball possession cover the least distance.

Image source: Photo Network

Run correctly and exercise together with the World Cup!

Because of epidemic prevention and control

Many people can no longer go to the gym

Why not wear a mask and go downstairs for a run?

Here are a few for you

Tips for running

Hope you enjoy the sport

Enjoy every step

1. Don’t skip warming up before running

Many friends ignore warm-up and stretching exercises before running and go directly into high-intensity aerobic training. The cardiovascular and respiratory systems will not have time to get into shape, the muscles will not be supplied with blood and oxygen, and the muscle toughness will naturally be poor. The knee joints lack support and protection, and the ligaments, muscles, and joints are easily damaged.

2. Running posture is important

① Head: Keep your eyes straight ahead, don’t look down at the ground;

② Shoulders: Relax and don’t swing your shoulders. Relax and lower them. Don’t swing your arms with your shoulders, and don’t shrug your shoulders.

③ Arms: Bend your elbows at 90 degrees and swing them like a pendulum with your shoulders as the axis;

④ Waist and hip: Keep them stable and do not twist left and right when running;

⑤ Trunk: Tuck in your abdomen, straighten your chest, and straighten your back, as if it were a straight line, with your body slightly leaning forward;

⑥ Feet: Whether the back of the foot or the forefoot touches the ground first when running depends on the speed of the displacement of the center of gravity when running.

Image source: Beijing Medical Network

3. Increase running speed and running volume gradually

During daily running exercise, the ideal speed is about 180 steps per minute, which is about 7 to 8 minutes per kilometer. As for how many kilometers to run, please follow the principle of "gradual progress". It is recommended that the heart rate of the entire running distance should not exceed 85% of the maximum heart rate (maximum heart rate = 220-actual age). If you want to run easily and comfortably, control your heart rate at 59% to 75% of the maximum heart rate. If your heart rate rises significantly, you should actively reduce your pace. Each running time should be at least 30 minutes. For young people with good physical fitness, 40 to 50 minutes of running each time is enough.

4. Stretch after running

Image source: Beijing Medical Network

Stretching can effectively relax muscles, reduce muscle stiffness, increase blood microcirculation, speed up the elimination of metabolic waste, and reduce muscle soreness after exercise. Therefore, stretching after exercise is also an essential step.

END

Source: Shandong Association for Science and Technology, Beijing Medical Network

THU Sports Technology Review, Zhihu

Compiled by: Dong Xiaoxian

Editor: Guru