Is technical performance related to the distance covered during U-19 futsal matches?

Abstract The aim of the present study was to quantify the physical demand in terms ofdistance covered and to verify the relation with technical performance during simulated futsal matches of U-19 category. Sixteen players participated in the study. Two simulated matches were performed, and the physical demand was quantified by the total distance covered, distance covered per minute and distance at different intensities. In addition, technical performance variables were analyzed during matches. The total distance covered was, on average, 3259.97 ± 180.27 m, with 113.26 ± 6.11 m / min. Approximately 26% of the total distance was covered at high intensity (i.e.,> 15 km.h-1), with significant decrease of these actions in the second half of matches (p <0.05). There were no significant correlations between physical and technical performance variables. However, there were positive correlations classified as “strong” of technical variable “unsuccessful kicks” with the total distance covered during match. This study demonstrated that simulated futsal matches of the U-19 category present high physical demand, with values of distance covered per minute at different intensities similar to those found in professional Brazilian players during official matches. There were no significant correlations between physical and technical performance during matches; however, correlations classified as“strong” between unsuccessful kicks were obtained with total distance covered (r=0.51; p=0.06), distance covered at high intensity (r=0.51; p=0.09) and with distance covered in sprints (r=0.56; p=0.06), suggesting that the efficacy of kicks is influenced by the match intensity.