Exploring body composition and physical condition profiles in relation to playing time in professional soccer: a principal components analysis and Gradient Boosting approach.

ABSTRACT:

Background

This study aimed to explore whether a predictive model based on body composition and physical condition could estimate seasonal playing time in professional soccer players.

Methods

24 professional soccer players with 5-7 years of professional experience participated. Body composition and physical condition variables were assessed, and total minutes played during the season were recorded as the dependent variable. Correlations between variables were examined to reduce multicollinearity, followed by a principal component analysis (PCA) of the selected predictors. The first three components were used as inputs in a Gradient Boosting model. Model performance was evaluated using 5-fold cross-validation and leave-one-out cross-validation (LOOCV).

Results

High int

SUBMITTER: Ulloa-Diaz D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12549671 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature