Effect of team rank and player classification on activity profiles of elite wheelchair rugby players

The aim of the current study was to establish which indicators of mobility are associated with successful wheelchair rugby performance and determine whether these indicators differed across classification. Data were collected from 11 international teams during 30 matches (353 match observations) usi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of sports sciences 2015-11, Vol.33 (19), p.2070-2078
Main Authors: Rhodes, James M., Mason, Barry S., Malone, Laurie A., Goosey-Tolfrey, Victoria L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Athletes with disabilities
Athletic Performance - physiology
Competitive Behavior - physiology
Effects
Female
Geographic Information Systems
Human performance
Humans
Male
Mobility
Paralympic sports
player tracking
Rugby
Soccer - classification
Soccer - physiology
Teams
Time and Motion Studies
Wheelchairs
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Summary:The aim of the current study was to establish which indicators of mobility are associated with successful wheelchair rugby performance and determine whether these indicators differed across classification. Data were collected from 11 international teams during 30 matches (353 match observations) using a radio-frequency-based, indoor tracking system across two tournaments. Players (n = 111) were first grouped by team rank as determined by their International Wheelchair Rugby Federation (IWRF) world ranking (LOW, MID, HIGH) and then into one of four groups based on their IWRF classification: Group I (0.5), Group II (1.0-1.5), Group III (2.0-2.5) and Group IV (3.0-3.5). The volume of activity (relative distance and mean speed), peak speed and time spent within classification-specific arbitrary speed zones were calculated for each individual. Although no differences were identified in the volume of activity, playing time was significantly reduced in LOW (34:51 ± 8:35) compared to MID (48:54 ± 0:51) and HIGH (45:38 ± 9:53), which was further supported by the greater number of substitutions performed by LOW. HIGH achieved greater peak speeds (3.55 ± 0.40 m · sˉ 1 ) than LOW (3.27 ± 0.42 m · sˉ 1 ) and MID (3.45 ± 0.41 m · sˉ 1 ). Peak speed was further shown to be classification-dependent (P ≤ 0.005), whereby HIGH Groups III and IV players achieved greater peak speeds than LOW and MID. The time spent performing high-intensity activities was also greater in HIGH compared to LOW and MID, whilst further influenced by classification (P ≤ 0.0005). To conclude, peak speed and the ability to perform a greater number of high-intensity activities were associated with successful performance in wheelchair rugby.
ISSN:0264-0414
1466-447X
DOI:10.1080/02640414.2015.1028087