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Abstract
Refereeing in contemporary football requires high levels of physical, perceptual-cognitive, and decision-making performance. In this context, speed is a determining capacity for maintaining a functional position in relation to play, sustaining appropriate observation angles, and responding accurately to changing game situations. The aim of this study was to analyze changes in the speed of professional football referees from Loja, Ecuador, after the application of a Smart Training program. The research was conducted using a quantitative, applied approach, with a pre-experimental one-group design and pretest-posttest measurements. Thirty active professional referees participated in the study. Speed was assessed using the FIFA Fitness Test–Repeated Sprint Ability (RSA) 6 × 40 m test, and internal training load was monitored using the sRPE method with the Borg CR-10 scale. The intervention lasted 10 weeks. The descriptive results showed a reduction in posttest times across all evaluated categories, with the greatest magnitude of improvement observed in the second male category. Likewise, most participants showed a favorable response to the program. It is concluded that the applied program was associated with improvements in the specific speed of the evaluated referees; however, these findings should be interpreted with caution due to the pre-experimental design, the absence of a control group, and the descriptive nature of the analysis.
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