Repeated Sprints Ability during Ball-Games and Its Relationships to Aerobic Capacity

Background: Sprint-type activities may have a great impact on the outcome in different ball games.

Aim: To determine soccer and basketball players` repeated sprint ability (RSA) at different game stages.

Methods: Twelve young basketball and 20 soccer players performed repeated sprint test (RST) (12X20 m) after warm-up prior to a game, at half-time and after a full game, as well as aerobic power test.

Results: Significant slower times in soccer during the RSTs were found only in ideal (fastest) sprint time (IS) and total (accumulative) sprint time (TS) at the end of the game compared to after the warm-up (p0.01 for each). In basketball, IS and TS were significantly faster at half-time compared to after warm-up (p0.02 for each). Significant negative correlations were found between predicted VO₂ and the difference between TS after the warm-up and the end of the game in basketball. In soccer, significant negative correlations were found only between predicted VO₂ and the difference between TS after the warm-up and the end of the game.

Discussion: Significant reduction in RSA indices and symptoms of fatigue appeared at the final stages of the soccer game, but not of the basketball game. In addition, it seems that the contribution of the aerobic system to soccer and basketball intensity maintenance is crucial, mainly during the final stages of the game. Therefore, coaches may consider extending aerobic-type training sessions, particularly of interval training, to improve power maintenance during games.