Physical Demands of Amateur Domestic and Representative Netball in One Season in New Zealand Assessed Using Heart Rate and Movement Analysis

Abstract

King, DA, Cummins, C, Hume, PA, and Clark, TN. Physical demands of amateur domestic and representative netball in one season in New Zealand assessed using heart rate and movement analysis. <i>J Strength Cond Res</i> 34(7): 2062-2070, 2020-The purpose of this descriptive cohort study was to describe physical demands of netball for positions and between playing levels using microtechnology. Data were collected from 34 female netball players across 3 teams at different levels (over 19 years representative [O19], under 19 years representative [U19], and open-age amateur club domestic) for 20 games using heart rate and microtechnology data. Total distance, maximal velocity, PlayerLoad ([PL] accumulated accelerometer-derived load), and individual PL vectors (PL forward [PL_F], PL sideward [PL_S] and PL vertical [PL_V]) were examined. Analysis by playing level and netball position were conducted. The O19 players recorded a higher mean distance (3,365.7 ± 1,875.1 m) per match than U19 (<i>p</i> = 0.0095) players. The O19 players recorded a higher PL (<i>p</i> = 0.0003), PL_F (<i>p</i> = 0.004), PL_S (<i>p</i> = 0.0039), and PL_V (<i>p</i> = 0.0352) than the domestic players. Domestic players recorded a higher maximal velocity than O19 players (<i>p</i> = 0.0003; d = 0.32) throughout the study. Domestic players recorded a higher average maximal heart rate (202.2 ± 28.2 b·min^-1) than O19 (<i>p</i> < 0.0001) and U19 (<i>p</i> = 0.0002) players. Given the high physical demands of netball, individual player- and position-specific training programs are required to develop players for the specific demands of competition while also reducing the impact of excessive physical exertion to facilitate safer engagement within netball. The identification of the differing physical and physiological profiles of individual positional groups throughout match-play highlights the importance of integrating microtechnology into the routine monitoring of intermittent court-based sports, such as netball.