ch8 - The JFA Physical Fitness Project
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GPS — running data is a function of context
That distance covered has fallen tells you nothing on its own. Which is why every JFA GPS report describes the opponent's shape and the fixture list alongside the numbers.
The Under-18 squad at the 2022 SBS Cup International Youth Soccer
The project monitors training and match intensity by GPS during age-group national team activity. At this tournament, played in 40-minute halves, the Under-18 squad finished third with one win and two draws (both lost on penalties). The figures below are squad averages, with substituted players' data combined and normalised to an 80-minute basis.
| Measure | Match 1 Uruguay U-18 |
Match 2 Shizuoka Youth |
Match 3 Uzbekistan U-18 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total distance (m) | 9,797.7 | 9,580.8 | 10,038.6 |
| Distance per minute (m) | 112.6 | 111.4 | 118.1 |
| Distance above 14 km/h (m) | 2,107.7 | 2,092.8 | 2,358.9 |
| Share of total distance (%) | 22.4 | 22.0 | 24.6 |
| Sprints above 24 km/h (count) | 6.3 | 6.4 | 10.0 |
| Schedule | Matches 1 and 2 on consecutive days | One day's rest | |
The JFA's own reading
What the JFA wrote about this data is the heart of the chapter.
- The dip in match 2. Because matches 1 and 2 fell on consecutive days, the slightly lower distance against Shizuoka Youth compared with Uruguay may reflect the back-to-back schedule. It is offered as a possibility, not a conclusion.
- The lift in match 3. Despite being the third match, it produced both the highest distance and the highest high-intensity share. A win being the precondition for taking the title accounts for part of it, but the JFA also records the deliberate choice to rest on the day between matches — no ball work and no aerobic running.
What matters is the statement that doing nothing on the rest day was an active choice. In junior football the convention between back-to-back fixtures is a light touch on the ball or a recovery jog; here even that was counted as load and removed. And the result showed up as the highest figures of the tournament in match 3.
The opponent's shape makes the numbers — AFC U20 Asian Cup 2023
Another report from the same project shows the effect running the other way. The Under-20 squad won all three group matches and the quarter-final, then lost the semi-final on penalties after extra time.
| Match | How it played out | Running data |
|---|---|---|
| Group 1 · China | An own goal conceded early in the first half, then a struggle to break down an opponent set up in a block of five defenders and four midfielders. Won it in the end with almost no space to play in | Both total distance and the count of sprints above 25 km/h were low |
| Group 2 · Kyrgyzstan | Unable to attack through an opponent pressing high, so long spells of possession followed. Lifted the intensity in the second half, working the small spaces, to win 3–0 | The second-half rise in intensity converted into scoring chances |
| Group 3 · Saudi Arabia | An open game with counter-attacks traded in both directions. Won 2–1 to top the group | Both total distance and the share above 20 km/h were high |
| Quarter-final · Jordan | Pressed hard in the first half without scoring, then shifted up another gear after the break, scoring from a high press and adding a second | Second-half work rate exceeded the first half |
The same structure appears in the qualifiers for that tournament (2022, Under-19). Japan held an overwhelming share of possession and the opponents either played a back five or sat deep, leaving almost no space, so there was little defending to do and little room to run into going forward — the report notes the impression of a low total distance covered. Japan won all four matches without conceding.
A low distance covered can be the product of a good performance, and a high one the product of a poor performance. When the opposition drops off, the space to run into disappears; when the game opens up, the numbers rise by themselves. Use GPS data as a standalone measure of a player or a team and you will misread it. The JFA reports describe the opponent's system, the way the scoreline developed and the schedule every time — not as a courtesy, but as a precondition for interpretation.
Applying it at junior level
- The principle holds without GPS. What matters is the habit of writing the context next to the record — the opponent's formation, how the scoreline developed, the gap since the last match, the temperature.
- Light training is not the default form of recovery between back-to-back fixtures. Complete rest belongs on the table as an option.
- Distance per minute (m/min) is a particularly useful normaliser in junior competitions, where halves vary in length (30 or 35 minutes, for instance). The Under-18 squad's benchmark was 111 to 118 m/min.
Sources
- Japan Football Association, 'GPS data from the SBS Cup International Youth Soccer (2022)' — three matches of Under-18 total distance, distance per minute, distance above 14 km/h, sprints above 24 km/h, and the account of the recovery strategy.
https://www.jfa.jp/coach/physical_project/sbscup_2022.pdf - Japan Football Association, 'GPS data from the AFC U20 Asian Cup Uzbekistan 2023' (2023).
https://www.jfa.jp/coach/physical_project/afc_u20_asiancup_2023.pdf - Japan Football Association, 'GPS data from the AFC U20 Asian Cup Uzbekistan 2023 qualifiers' (2022).
https://www.jfa.jp/coach/physical_project/afc_u20_asiancup_2023q.pdf - Japan Football Association, 'Physical testing results' — the page carrying the original commentary on all three reports.
https://www.jfa.jp/coach/physical_project/check.html