The relationship between muscle strength, anaerobic performance, agility, sprint ability and vertical jump performance in professional basketball players

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between isokinetic knee strength, anaerobic performance, sprinting ability, agility and vertical jump performance in first division basketball players. Twelve male first division basketball players participated in this study. The mean age was 25.1 ± 1.7 yrs; mean body height 194.8 ± 5.7 cm; mean body mass 92.3± 9.8 kg; mean PBF 10.1± 5.1; and mean VO 2max 50.55 ± 6.7 ml/kg/min. Knee extension and flexion strengths were measured at 60° and 180°/s, anaerobic performance was evaluated using the Wingate anaerobic power test, sprint ability was determined by single sprint performance (10-30 m), jump performance was evaluated by countermovement (CMJ) and squat jump (SJ) tests and agility performance was measured using the T drill agility test. Extension strength was significantly correlated with peak power at all contraction velocities. However, for mean power, significant correlation was only found between the 60° left and 180° right knee extension strength measurements. No measure of strength was significantly related to the measurements from/results of field tests. Moreover, strong relations were found between the performance of athletes in different field tests (p< 0.05). A limitation of the current study is the use of correlation analysis. Correlations do not prove causation, rather that two variables are related in some way. Within these limitations, the current results highlight the need for a comprehensive battery of field tests to evaluate performance in basketball players. © Editorial Committee of Journal of Human Kinetics

Improvement of the physical conditioning of young soccer players by playing small-sided games on different pitch size - Special reference to physiological responses

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether young soccer players change their physiological responses according to the different sizes of a pitch for 3-a-side and 4-a-side games (SSG). Sixteen young soccer players (age 14.2±0.6 yrs; height 162.8±5.7 cm; body mass 55.1±7.4 kg) participated in three different formats of 3-a-side (small pitch size: SSGS, 20x15 m; medium pitch size: SSG GM, 25x18 m; large pitch size: SSG L, 30x20 m) and 4-a-side (SSGS, 20x20 m; SSGM, 30x20 m; SSG L, 32x25 m) games. Each player performed the Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test (YIRT) level 1. Then, the 3-a-side and 4-a-side games were organized in random order at 2-day intervals. During SSG, heart rate (HR) was recorded. In addition, the rating of perceived exertion (RPE) was determined at the end of each SSG. The study results demonstrated that young soccer players presented significantly higher HR (F=14.722; p<.05; η2=0.495), %HRmax (F=14.694; p<.05; η2=0.495) and RPE10 (F=14.045; p<.05; η2=0.484) during 3-a-side SSGL compared to both 3-a-side SSG S and SSGM. Moreover, the 4-a-side SSGL induced significantly higher HR (F=6.658; p<.05; η2=0.307), %HRmax (F=6.495; p<.05; η2=0.302) and RPE10 (F=18.719; p<.05; η2=0.555) compared to 4-a-side SSGS. Therefore, it can be concluded that young soccer players could change their physiological responses during SSGs according to a different pitch size. The results of this study suggest that coaches of young soccer players should pay special attention to choosing the SSG type and pitch size when targeting physical conditioning of players in soccer training

Comparison of chosen physical fitness characteristics of turkish professional basketball players by division and playing position

The purpose of the present study was to compare chosen physical fitness characteristics of Turkish professional basketball players in different divisions (first and second division) and playing positions. Forty-five professional male basketball players (14 guards, 15 forwards, 16 centers) participated in this study voluntarily. For each player, anthropometric measurements were performed, as well as a multi-stage 20 m shuttle run, isokinetic leg strength, squat jump (SJ), countermovement jump (CMJ), 10-30 meter single-sprint and T-drill agility tests. The differences in terms of division were evaluated by independent t-test and the differences by playing position were evaluated by one-way ANOVA with Post Hoc Tukey test. First division players' CMJ measurements were significantly higher than those of second division players' (p≤0.05), whereas second division players' 10 m sprint times were significantly better than those of first division players' (p≤0.05). In addition, forwards and centers were significantly taller than guards. Centers were significantly heavier and their T-drill test performances were inferior to those of forwards and guards (p≤0.05). Moreover, guards had a significantly higher maximal oxygen uptake (VO2 max) than centers. Guards and forwards showed significantly better performance in the 10 and 30 m sprint tests than centers (p≤0.05). Forwards and centers had significantly better left leg flexor strength at 180°.s-1(p≤0.05). In conclusion, the findings of the present study indicated that physical performance of professional basketball players differed among guards, forwards and centers, whereas there were not significant differences between first and second division players. According to the present study, court positions have different demands and physical attributes which are specific to each playing position in professional basketball players. Therefore, these results suggest that coaches should tailor fitness programs according to specific positions on the court. © Editorial Committee of Journal of Human Kinetics

The relationship between the Yo-Yo tests, anaerobic performance and aerobic performance in young soccer players

The purposes of this study were to determine the relationship between performance in the Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test level 1 (YIRT1), the Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test level 2 (YIRT2) and the Yo-Yo endurance test (continuous) (YET) with maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) and Wingate anaerobic performance (WaNT) test results in young soccer players (age 15.00 ± 0.0 years, body height 176.3 ± 4.2 cm and body mass 68.1 ± 3.6 kg). An ergospirometry device was used during the treadmill test (TRT) to determine VO2max. At the end of the study, significant differences were found between the Yo-Yo tests and TRT in terms of HRmax (TRT = 195,92, YIRT1 = 197,83, YIRT2 = 198,5 YET = 198) (p > 0.05). While there were moderate correlations between VO2max and YIRT 1-2 performances (respectively, r = 0.56, r = 0.53), there was only a weak relationship between VO2max and YET performance (r = 0.43) (distance covered). There were also moderate significant negative correlations between performance in the YIRT2 and peak power measured in the WaNT (r = -0.55), although there were no significant correlations between performance in the three tests and average power. A moderate negative correlation was found between performance in the YIRT2 and Fatigue index (FI) (r = -0,66). In conclusion, the YIRT2 may be a more suitable field test for determining both aerobic and anaerobic performance in soccer players. © Editorial Committee of Journal of Human Kinetics

Comparison of the physiological responses to different small-sided games in elite young soccer players

The purpose of this study was to compare the blood lactate (La -), heart rate (HR) and percentage of maximum HR (%HRmax) responses among the small-sided games (SSGs) in elite young soccer players. Sixteen players (average age 15.7 ± 0.4 years; height 176.8 ± 4.6 cm; body mass 65.5 ± 5.6 kg; VO2max 53.1 ± 5.9 ml·kg-1·min-1; HRmax 195.9 ± 7.4 b·min-1) volunteered to perform the YoYo intermittent recovery test and ± bouts of soccer drills including 1-a-side, 2-a-side, 3-a-side, and 4-a-side games without a goalkeeper in random order at 2-day intervals. The differences in La-, HR and%HRmax either among the SSGs or among the bouts were identified using 4 × 6 (games × exercise bouts) 2-way analysis of variance with repeated measures. Significant differences were found on La-, HR, and %HRmax among the bouts (p≤0.05). The 3-a-side and 4-a-side gameswere significantly higher than 1-a-side and 2-a-side games on HR and %HRmax (p ≤ 0.05), whereas the 1-a-side game significantly resulted in higher La- responses compared to other SSGs. This study demonstrated that physiological responses during the 1-a-side and 2-a-side games were different compared to 3-a-side and 4-a-side games. Therefore, it can be concluded that a decreased number of players results in increased intensity during SSGs including 6 bouts. These results suggest that coaches should pay attention on choosing the SSG type and the number of bouts to improve desired physical conditioning of elite young soccer players in soccer training. © 2011 National Strength and Conditioning Association