Concordance of a new IMU in different small-sided games and real game tasks in indoor sports

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to analyze the concordance of a new Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) device called OLIVER in different specific training tasks and real futsal game.Methods: 10 elite futsal players competing in First National Division performed most of the typical futsal training tasks (game possession in 22×20m, 2vs2 in 20×20m, 3vs3, 4vs4 in 28×20m and 4vs4 in 40×20m). Players wore two tracking devices (OLIVER and WIMU Pro). Data were recorded with specific software systems to compare the concordance of data. After recording data, descriptive analysis was developed for each training task, as well as a one-way ANOVA to evaluate the concordance of OLIVER and WIMU devices.Results: The results reported good agreement for most variables, such as total distance, distance covered in different partials, as well as meters of accelerations and decelerations at different intensities and maximum speed (P> .05). However, the distance covered in high-speed running 12.1-18 km/h (m) and the number of runs above 12 km/h reported statistical differences between OLIVER and WIMU (P< .05) in some of the training tasks.Conclusion: The OLIVER system and WIMU system shows a high level of concordance in main variables of external load in different training tasks. OLIVER system is a valid and useful device to monitor external load in indoor sports, both small-sided games and real games.