Comparing two training microcycles' degree of specificity in professional versus in-formation team

This paper presents a descriptive case study, which establishes a comparative analysis of the level of specificity between two microcycles carried out by two teams at different competition level (professional versus in-formation). A new instrument, the Specificity of Football Training Scale (SFTS), was created for assessing tasks specificity, sessions and training microcycles in football. SFTS is based on an broader and more complex interpretation of the concept of specificity: synchronous, contextual and functional (Castelo, 2009; Vales, Arce, Minano & Garcia, 2012; Vales 2012). Its internal structure is conformed by four levels of specificity: low, moderate, high and maximum, based on the application of three original measurement indices: Specificity Index of Tasks (SIT), Specificity Index of Sessions (SIS), and Specificity Index of Microcycles (SIM). Data show that training models applied by both teams are developed under methodological guidelines characterized by a medium-high specificity, the professional team showing greater degree of specificity in training tasks, sessions and microcycles (5,2 +/- 2,3 points) compared to the in-formation team (4,3 +/- 0,4 points). Our overall results can be considered relevant for future intervention studies, as well as for establishing strategies to optimize football training planning processes.