International Proceedings of Human Motricity/ ICPESK 2019 Supplementary Issue of Discobolul – Physical Education, Sport and Kinetotherapy Journal, 2019 247 THE EVALUATION OF ENDURANCE IMPROVEMENT IN THE TRANSITION PERIOD Gaetano RAIOLA 1* , Tiziana D’ISANTO 2 , Francesca D’ELIA 1 , Gaetano ALTAVILLA 3 1 University of Salerno, Salerno, Italy 2 MIUR Campania, Italy 3 University of Split, Split, Croatia *Corresponding author: graiola@unisa.it DOI: 10.35189/iphm.icpesk.2019.38 Abstract. Soccer is a sport with wide popularity in Italy. The aim of the study was to analyse and evaluate the performance decrease or improvement in two groups of 12 male soccer players aged 13-14 years (group A and group B). Group A continues the training sessions during the transition period, while group B does not continue the workouts. The study method is experimental. The tests applied to young soccer players are easy to administer and are intended to investigate two different characteristics of endurance, namely general and specific endurance. The data were collected over eight weeks (during the transition period). All the collected data were expressed as average ± SD for height, weight, body mass index (BMI) and the Cooper test. The statistical analysis of data involves using the Student’s t-Test to assess the performance of the two groups in the transition period (June-September) and between the two groups in September. The significant differences were set at p < 0.05. The results show that there is a significant difference between the two groups in September. For group B (that does not continue the training during the transition period), there is no significant difference, while for group A (that continues the training during the transition period), there is a significant difference. The analysis and evaluation of the performance decrease or improvement allow coaches to monitor the training process and design the training load for effective performance. Keywords: soccer, quantitative aspects, Cooper test, training programme, performance. Introduction The period of time from the end of the championship until September is generally defined as the transition period (Forte & Altavilla, 2018). The transition period is an important phase, which usually allows for physical and psychological recovery through complete rest, with the suspension or decrease (in intensity, volume and frequency) of physical activity (D’Elia, D’Isanto, & Altavilla, 2019). Soccer enjoys wide popularity in Italy and many sports associations and schools promote it. Soccer is a sport with high agonistic commitment, which requires the development of all conditional abilities (Raiola & Rago, 2014; Cirillo, Nughes, Acanfora, Altavilla, & D’Isanto, 2016) and the acquisition of general and specific motor skills (D’Isanto, Manna, & Altavilla, 2017). Among the various physical qualities needed, we can mention the ability to perform straight-line sprinting and positive and negative acceleration (di Prampero et al., 2005) with rapid changes of directions, often called agility (Mathisen & Svein, 2015), but also the endurance ability. In recent years, players run faster, perform technical skills with higher speed and make better tactical decisions (Alizadeh, Hovanloo, & Safania, 2010). Coaches and any person involved in the training of young soccer players should take into account aspects such as the distance travelled in order to design specific drills (Altavilla, Riela, Di Tore, & Raiola, 2017). This study involves using the Cooper test, which is easy to administer and can detect the characteristics of endurance. Endurance is one of the conditional abilities representing the structural prerequisite for the execution of any sporting gesture and is related to the concept of fatigue. There are various types of exercises that can be distinguished on the basis of their intensity and duration and therefore we will have to do with specific characteristics of endurance (Jones & Carter, 2000), which are related to the involvement of different (aerobic and anaerobic) mechanisms of ATP resynthesis. We will also have to do with general (or basic generic) endurance, which refers to the player’s aerobic qualities, and specific endurance, which, in addition to aerobic qualities, refers to anaerobic qualities that are particularly linked to lactic acid metabolism. The aim of the study was to analyse and evaluate the performance decrease or improvement in two groups of 12 male soccer players aged 13 to 14 years, who performed physical and anthropometric tests at the end of the regular season and the beginning of the next one.