Table 1_Physiological demands and player characteristics in women’s futsal: a systematic review.docx

Women’s futsal is gaining increasing recognition in both the sporting world and academic research, driven by events such as the inaugural FIFA Women’s Futsal World Cup. This systematic review aimed to synthesize the current scientific literature on match demands and player characteristics in women’s futsal. Four key dimensions were analyzed: external and internal match loads (i), physiological, neuromuscular, and biochemical responses to competition (ii), and anthropometric (iii) and physical (iv) profiles of athletes across different competitive levels. The review followed PRISMA guidelines. Studies were included if they involved women practicing futsal at any competitive level, were peer-reviewed articles in English, Portuguese, or Spanish, and investigated variables related to match demands or player characteristics. Searches were conducted in SPORTDiscus, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. The search returned 837 records; after removing duplicates and screening abstracts and full texts, 50 studies were included in the review. Methodological quality was assessed independently by two reviewers using a modified Downs and Black checklist. The findings indicate that women’s futsal imposes high physiological demands, especially in the first half of matches, with performance often declining in the second half. Elite players consistently show superior physical attributes—including higher VO2max, greater lean mass, and lower fat mass—compared to their lower-level counterparts. Evidence on neuromuscular characteristics suggests that agility and sprint capacity are particularly relevant to performance and responsive to training. Performance in the CMJ shows considerable variation among athletes of different competitive levels, highlighting the need for further research. Few studies have compared the performance of players in different positions, indicating a gap in the literature. Despite its growing popularity, the literature on women’s futsal remains limited and fragmented, with a predominance of cross-sectional designs, variability in measurement protocols, and a lack of data from official matches. To enhance training strategies and optimize athlete performance and health, future studies should adopt robust methodologies, include longitudinal designs, and explore the match demands and performance profiles of women’s players in real-world competitive contexts.

受首届国际足联女子五人制足球世界杯（FIFA Women’s Futsal World Cup）等赛事推动，女子五人制足球（women’s futsal）在体育界与学术研究领域的认可度持续提升。本系统综述旨在整合当前有关女子五人制足球比赛负荷与运动员特征的科学文献。本次综述共分析四大核心维度：（i）外部与内部比赛负荷；（ii）运动员应对赛事的生理学、神经肌肉学及生物化学响应；（iii）不同竞技水平运动员的人体测量学特征，以及（iv）身体机能概况。本综述严格遵循PRISMA指南开展。纳入研究的标准为：研究对象为任意竞技水平的女子五人制足球运动员，且为经同行评议的英文、葡萄牙语或西班牙语期刊论文，同时研究内容涉及比赛负荷或运动员特征相关变量。检索工作在SPORTDiscus、PubMed、Scopus及Web of Science数据库中进行。本次检索共获取837条文献记录，经去重、摘要与全文筛选后，最终纳入50项研究进入本综述。由两名评审员独立采用改良版Downs和Black清单对研究的方法学质量进行评估。研究结果显示，女子五人制足球赛事对运动员具有较高的生理学负荷，尤其集中于比赛上半场，运动员的竞技表现通常在下半场出现下滑。相较于低竞技水平运动员，精英运动员始终具备更优异的身体特质：包括更高的最大摄氧量（VO2max）、更多的瘦体重以及更低的体脂率。针对神经肌肉特征的研究证据表明，灵敏性与冲刺能力与竞技表现高度相关，且可通过训练得到改善。不同竞技水平运动员的反向跳跃测试（CMJ）表现存在显著差异，这凸显了开展进一步研究的必要性。鲜有研究对不同场上位置运动员的表现进行对比，这反映出当前研究存在空白。尽管女子五人制足球的关注度与日俱增，但相关研究文献仍较为有限且零散，研究设计多为横断面研究，测量方案缺乏统一标准，且缺少正式赛事的相关数据。为优化训练策略、提升运动员竞技表现与健康水平，未来的研究应采用严谨的方法学设计，纳入纵向研究方案，并探究真实竞技场景下女子五人制足球运动员的比赛负荷与表现特征。