Therefore we designed this study to address critical gaps in the
literature pertaining to the understanding of hamstring muscle
fatigue and central motor output during soccer and the
concomitant changes in hamstring maximal torque and rate of
torque development. We used a soccer-specific aerobic field test
(SAFT90 [8]) to replicate the distances and intensity distribution of elite level players during match play. This provided a controlled
experimental context compared to open-field match play where
within-game measures are difficult to perform [8], and the withinand between-match locomotor profile is highly variable [24,25].
We hypothesized that reductions in hamstring central motor
output would occur prior to peripheral muscle fatigue during the
SAFT90. Moreover we hypothesized that reductions in hamstring
central motor output would contribute to reductions in both
maximal torque and rate of torque development, with the greatest
reductions exhibited in the latter stages of each half.