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Hamstring Injury Prevention: Why Sprint Exposure is Essential
- Enrico Mordillo
- 3 days ago
- 4 min read
Why Training High-Speed Running Is Key for Injury Prevention ?
In modern elite football, hamstring injuries remain the leading cause of time-loss, significantly impacting team performance and player availability. However, sports science now clearly shows that protecting muscles requires more than just strength training in the gym — players need to sprint.
To download the Injury Analysis Dashboard, scroll to the bottom of the page for the link
Using Sprinting as a “Preventive Tool” for Hamstring Injuries
Sprinting can be considered a true “vaccine” for athletes. If a player is not regularly exposed to speeds close to their maximum velocity (Vmax) during the weekly training cycle, the neuromuscular system remains unprepared for the extreme eccentric demands required in matches (Edouard et al., 2021).
Through GPS data analysis, monitoring Very High-Speed Running (VHSR) and sprint volumes is not only a performance indicator, but a key injury prevention metric.
Training at high speeds means conditioning the muscle tissue to tolerate specific mechanical loads that no isolated gym exercise can replicate, ultimately building the resilience required to cope with match demands.
As highlighted in the review by Gualtieri & Beato (2023), sprinting acts as a biomechanical vaccine: regular exposure to near-maximal speeds (≥95% Vmax) prepares the hamstrings — particularly the biceps femoris — for the eccentric stress experienced during sprinting, bridging the gap between strength training and real match demands.
Which Speeds Effectively Stimulate the Hamstrings?
To effectively target hamstring injury prevention during training, it is essential to reach specific speed thresholds.
Electromyographic analysis shows that hamstring activation increases exponentially with running speed, becoming truly significant only above 80–85% of individual Vmax.
At these speeds:
the hamstrings play a primary role in decelerating the limb during the late swing phase
the biceps femoris is exposed to high eccentric forces
the muscle operates at long lengths — where injuries typically occur
At near-maximal intensities (>95% Vmax), the muscle experiences peak eccentric tension and stretch, conditions that cannot be replicated through traditional strength exercises.
As demonstrated by Schache et al. (2013), only these “critical speeds” expose the muscle to the mechanical conditions associated with injury risk — making high-speed running the only truly specific preventive stimulus.
For this reason, individualizing sprint training becomes essential. This should be based on match data or sprint testing in order to determine each player’s individual maximum speed capacity.
Using absolute thresholds alone can be misleading and ineffective.
Which Training Methods Can Be Used to Develop High-Speed Running ?
There are many ways to train high-speed running, depending on specificity and the presence of the ball. Examples include:
Standing or flying sprints
Resisted sprinting (bands, parachutes, etc.)
Sled training
Offensive patterns and finishing drills
Large-sided games
However, not all methods are equally effective for injury prevention.
To achieve a preventive effect, players must reach speeds above approximately 23–24 km/h (depending on the individual). For this reason, ball-based drills such as small-sided games or positional play often fail to reach sufficient speeds — especially when performed in reduced spaces.
In these cases, supplementary running-based drills are necessary.
Replicating Match Load Within the Weekly Microcycle
High-speed running is one of the most difficult physical components to replicate during the training week.
While it is relatively easy to exceed match demands for:
total distance
accelerations
decelerations
…it is much more challenging to replicate high-speed exposure.
Typically:
total load can reach ~2.5x match demands
high-speed running often only reaches ~1.4x
Why?
Modern football training increasingly emphasizes:
small spaces
faster ball circulation
tactical density
This limits the opportunity to reach high speeds.
Therefore, integrating dedicated high-speed exposure becomes essential to compensate for what cannot be achieved through tactical training alone.
A Case Study of a Hamstring Injury
In a real case study I conducted, a player sustained a hamstring injury during a match precisely at the moment of reaching their maximum speed.
The purpose of the analysis was to determine whether the injury was related to inadequate load management.
The findings showed that:
in the previous 2 and 4 weeks
the player had not been sufficiently exposed to high-speed running
As a result, when the peak demand occurred during the match, the athlete was not adequately prepared.
Final Takeaway
It is not enough to train high-speed running globally — it must be individualized.
Understanding each player’s physical profile is essential, and match data plays a crucial role in:
identifying individual speed capacities
monitoring seasonal changes
preventing avoidable injuries
📚 📚 References
Beato, M., & Gualtieri, A. (2023). Sprinting: A Potential Vaccine for Hamstring Injury? Sports Medicine.
Bradley, P. S., et al. (2009). High-intensity running in English Premier League soccer matches. Journal of Sports Sciences.
Buchheit, M., & Simpson, B. M. (2017). Player-tracking technology: half-full or half-empty? IJSPP.
Edouard, P., et al. (2021). Sprinting: a potential vaccine for hamstring injury. Sport Performance & Science Reports.
Ekstrand, J., et al. (2022). Hamstring injuries in professional football. BJSM.
Gabbett, T. J. (2016). The training–injury prevention paradox. BJSM.
Huygaerts, S., et al. (2020). Mechanisms of Hamstring Strain Injury. Sports.
Malone, J. J., et al. (2017). High-speed running and injury risk in soccer. JSAMS.
Mendiguchia, J., et al. (2020). Hamstring injury treatment algorithm. MSSE.
Schache, A. G., et al. (2013). Hamstring forces during sprinting. Journal of Biomechanics.
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