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, c...