Assessing the Relationship Between Isometric Mid-Thigh Pull Peak Force, Rate of Force Development, and Sprint Performance in Female University Soccer Players

Abstract

Sprint performance is a critical determinant of success in many team sports, including soccer, yet the relationships between lower-body force production and sprint outcomes in female university athletes remain underexplored. This study investigated whether isometric mid-thigh pull (IMTP) peak force and rate of force development (RFD) at 100 ms are associated with sprint performance over 10 m and 30 m in female varsity soccer players. Sixteen participants (19.9 ± 1.2 years) completed IMTP and 30 m sprint testing, with 10 m and 30 m sprint times, velocities, and accelerations analyzed. IMTP outcomes were normalized to body mass, and Pearson correlations with bootstrapped 95% confidence intervals examined associations between force characteristics and sprint performance. Results indicated weak, non-significant correlations between relative peak force and sprint performance. In contrast, RFD at 100 ms showed moderate, significant correlations with 10 m sprint performance: positively correlating with sprint time (r = 0.613, p = .012) and negatively with velocity (r = −0.624, p = .010) and 0–10 m acceleration (r = −0.623, p = .010). These findings suggest that early-phase RFD may not consistently translate to improved sprint performance in this population, likely due to high measurement variability, differences between vertically oriented strength measures (IMTP) and horizontally oriented force production relevant to sprinting. These results highlight the potential limitation of vertically oriented assessments such as the IMTP compared to more horizontally oriented field tests such as the broad jump, which may better reflect horizontal force production relevant to sprinting. Peak force demonstrated more stable but weak relationships with sprint outcomes. Overall, results highlight the complexity of strength–sprint relationships in female university athletes and emphasize the need for further research.