Monitoring and Interpreting External Load in Basketball: a Narrative Review

Abstract

External load monitoring brings valuable information to practitioners and coaches about the physical requirements of the activity developed by their players, according to their level of competition, age and gender. This information can be used to individualize training programs and to optimize the time invested in them, making coaches and players more efficient in the process. This review asses the results reflected in the existing bibliography about the measurements of external load in the sport of basketball, synthesizing them in one article for the scientific reader. Data from 29 scientific papers has been organized and discussed, providing relevant insights about the goals and findings, sample, measurement variables and technology for monitoring external load in basketball.