Physical Persistency across Game Quarters and during Consecutive Games in Elite Junior Basketball Players

Abstract

Given the intermittent nature of basketball and the different demands that occur during playing time that are specific to every level of competition, the ratio of accelerations/decelerations and the intensity level across quarters were evaluated in female elite junior basketball players (n = 48; age: 16.8 ± 0.7 years; height: 1.76 ± 0.07 cm; body mass: 67.2 ± 6.2 kg). The following variables were analyzed to determine physical persistency across game quarters:(a) total distance covered (m), (b) high-intensity running (HIR) (14–21 km·h−1) distance covered (m), (c) sprint (21–30 km·h−1) distance covered (m), (d) total accelerations (n), (e) total decelerations (n), (f) relative accelerations (n·min−1), (g) relative decelerations (n·min−1), (h) ratio of acceleration/deceleration (A/D), (i) total jumps (j) relative jumps (n·min−1) (k) player load (AU). using the WIMU PRO® system. Higher but shorter acceleration intensity occurred during the last quarters due to the tight results of the matches. The results suggest that high-intensity efforts such as sprints and HIR seem to increase the A/D ratio (guard and forward positions). Therefore, specific conditioning, as well as eccentric strength training, could be included by practitioners in training programs to improve the performance of these positions during competition, especially as a prior preparation to a game-congested event. Centers seem to have a more variable performance through quarters than do other positions, perhaps highlighting the need for specific conditioning strategies.