Acta Gymnica e2025.004 | DOI: 10.5507/ag.2025.004

Cognitive effect of 7-min re-warm-up after half-time in under-16 soccer players

Francisco Tomás González-Fernández1, Filipe M. Clemente2, 3, 4, Wanesa Onetti-Onetti5, Alfonso Castillo-Rodríguez1
1 Department of Physical Education and Sports, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
2 Higher School of Sports and Leisure, Instituto Politécnico de Viana do Castelo, Viana do Castelo, Portugal
3 Research Center in Sports Performance, Recreation, Innovation and Technology (SPRINT), Melgaço, Portugal
4 Gdansk University of Physical Education and Sport, Gdansk, Poland
5 Facultad de Educación, Universidad Internacional de la Rioja, Logroño, Spain

Background: A review of the literature indicates that the physical performance of soccer players declines during the early minutes of the second half. However, incorporating re-warm-up (RWU) strategies has proven to significantly boost their performance during this critical period.

Objective: The present study aimed to examine the acute effects of a re-warm-up on cognition, as reflected in the Psychomotor Vigilance Task (PVT).

Methods: Twenty-two male under-16 soccer players from a non-professional team in Andalusia, Spain, successfully completed the study. These players were divided into two parallel groups: a control group and an experimental group. The young soccer players were evaluated using the Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test to obtain VO2max. Additionally, heart rate was monitored with a heart rate monitor, and PVT was assessed using a mobile application.

Results: A t-test was used to analyze heart rate and PVT data over a 5-min period. The results showed that soccer players responded faster after performing a RWU (315.82 ± 32.31 ms) than the control group after traditional rest (350.59 ± 50.23 ms), p = .001, d = -0.58.

Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that a 7-min RWU after half-time improves reaction time. The findings offer valuable insights that soccer coaching staff can utilize to enhance their team's performance.

Keywords: cognition, exercise, soccer, re-warm-up, vigilance

Received: October 31, 2023; Revised: April 21, 2025; Accepted: April 21, 2025; Published online: May 16, 2025  Show citation

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González-Fernández, F.T., Clemente, F.M., Onetti-Onetti, W., & Castillo-Rodríguez, A. (2025). Cognitive effect of 7-min re-warm-up after half-time in under-16 soccer players. Acta Gymnica, 55, Article e2025.004. https://doi.org/10.5507/ag.2025.004
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