A comparison of the physical demands generated by playing different opponents in basketball friendly matches.

This study aimed to compare the physical demands of playing opponents of different skill levels in basketball. Eighteen men's college basketball players wore accelerometers to measure the relative accumulated acceleration load (AAL), estimated equivalent distance, and frequencies of sprint, jump, and exertion events during games against professional teams (Pro), teams at the same competition level (Collegiate), and teams comprising intra-team members in practice games (Scrimmage). Internal responses were calculated using the relative rating of perceived exertion (sRPE). A repeated measures analysis of variance, Bonferroni post-hoc tests, and standardized Cohen's effect sizes were calculated to compare the physical demands and internal responses across matches played against different levels of opponents. The results showed that in the game against the Pro, AAL (arbitrary units), sprint events (cases per min), and exertion events (cases per min) were significantly (p < .05) higher than those in games against the Collegiate and Scrimmage teams. As the competitive level of the opponents increased, the relative external load of the participants also increased. Conversely, internal responses measured using sRPE were lower after games against the Pro than those against the Collegiate. Internal and external loads may vary from each other depending on contextual factors.

Acceleration Profile of High-Intensity Movements in Basketball Games.

ABSTRACT: Koyama, T, Rikukawa, A, Nagano, Y, Sasaki, S, Ichikawa, H, and Hirose, N. Acceleration profile of high-intensity movements in basketball games. J Strength Cond Res 36(6): 1715-1719, 2022-This study aimed to elucidate movements that require greater acceleration during basketball games, their occurrence frequency, and compare acceleration components. Eighteen male collegiate basketball players (age: 19.5 ± 0.8 years) were enrolled. Triaxial accelerometer was used to measure acceleration and a synchronized video was recorded. Moments that generated resultant accelerations >4, 6, and 8 G, and their coincided movements were identified. Ratios and frequencies of the extracted movements were calculated and Jonckheere-Terpstra trend test was used to examine which movement rate increased when acceleration threshold increased. In addition, the top 7 movements that generated a resultant acceleration >6 G among the combination of basketball-specific movements were extracted. Their resultant, mediolateral, vertical, and anteroposterior accelerations were identified and compared using one-way analysis of variance. Cohen's d was used to calculate effect sizes. All p < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. The extracted frequencies were 33.6, 9.1, and 2.3 cases per minute for >4 G, >6 G, and >8 G, respectively. As the threshold increased, the rate of deceleration, landing, and physical contact increased. The mediolateral acceleration of physical contact was significantly greater than other movements, whereas the vertical acceleration of landing and deceleration was significantly greater than other movements. Thus, acceleration component analysis was performed to classify movement types. Greater acceleration appeared frequently in movement during defense. It is suggested that many defense movements involve a reaction to the ball and opponent. There are many passive movements during defense and speed changes rapidly. If many passive movements occur when defending, larger physical load is applied, and may lead to fatigue.

High-Acceleration Movement, Muscle Damage, and Perceived Exertion in Basketball Games.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of the number of high-acceleration movements on muscle damage and the rating of perceived exertion (RPE) in basketball games. METHODS: Twenty-one male collegiate basketball players (mean age, 20.0 [1.0] y) were included. A triaxial accelerometer was used to measure acceleration in basketball-simulated scrimmages. To detect higher physical load during the actual game, the resultant acceleration was calculated, and 3 thresholds were set: >4G, >6G, and >8G resultant accelerations. The number of the extracted movements was calculated at each acceleration threshold. Plasma creatine kinase (CK) levels (marker of muscle damage) were estimated before and 24 hours after the match, and the session-RPE load was calculated within 30 minutes after the match. Pearson product-moment correlations with 95% confidence intervals were used to determine the relationships between the number of high-acceleration movements and plasma CK and session-RPE load. RESULTS: Significant correlations were observed between the number of high-acceleration movements >8G and CK level (r = .74; 95% confidence interval, 0.44-0.89; P < .0001). Furthermore, the correlation coefficient between acceleration and CK increased with increased acceleration threshold (>4G: r = .65; >6G: r = .69). Contrastingly, the correlation coefficient between acceleration and the session-RPE load decreased with increased acceleration threshold (>4G: r = .72; >6G: r = .52; >8G: r = .43). CONCLUSIONS: The session-RPE reflects the total amount of movement, while the high-acceleration movement reflects the momentary large impact load or intensity, and they evaluated different factors. Basketball coaching and conditioning professionals recommended combining acceleration and session-RPE when monitoring the load of athletes.