The Correlation Between the Wingate Test and Anaerobic Performance in Collegiate Women's Soccer Players

In recent years, several studies have examined the relationship between the Wingate anaerobic power test (WAnT) and lower body power and strength in various team and individual sports. Such a relationship however, has not been examined in active NCAA Division III women's soccer players. PURPOSE: To examine the relationship between the WAnT and lower body power and strength in active NCAA Division III women's soccer players. METHODS: Sixteen active women's soccer players (mean SD): age 20 +/- 1 yrs; body mass 64.0 +/- 13.5 kg; body mass index (BMI) 23.5 4.3 kgm-2; body fat 21.0 +/- 5.5% volunteered to participate in the study. Performance testing included the WAnT, vertical jump with the use of arms (VJ1), vertical jump with arms crossed over the chest (VJ2) and leg press (LP). In order to calculate peak and mean power of the vertical jump test, the Harman formula (Harman et al., 1991) was applied. All performance testing occurred during the first week following the regular season. RESULTS: A significant positive correlation (p < 0.05) was seen between WAnT peak and mean power, and VJ1, VJ2 and LP. Additionally, a significant positive correlation was seen between WAnT anaerobic capacity, and VJ1 and VJ2. There was no significant correlation between WAnT anaerobic capacity and LP. CONCLUSIONS: Since the WAnT, VJ1, VJ2 and LP measure similar anaerobic capabilities and utilize the same energy systems, the results of this study are not surprising. The strong correlations that we have demonstrated in the present investigation suggest that VJ1, VJ2 and LP may be used as valid tools in measuring anaerobic abilities in this population.Table