Metabolic power in hurling with respect to position and halves of match-play

• Published in: PloS one 2019-12, Vol.14 (12), p.e0225947-e0225947
• Main Authors: Young, Damien, Malone, Shane, Collins, Kieran, Mourot, Laurent, Beato, Marco, Coratella, Giuseppe
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Athletic Performance; Australian football; Biology and Life Sciences; Deceleration; Energy Metabolism; Engineering and Technology; Exercise; Field hockey; Football; Gaelic football; Geographic Information Systems; Global positioning systems; GPS; High speed; Humans; Hurling (Game); Male; Medicine and Health Sciences; Metabolism; Physical fitness; Physical Sciences; Physiological aspects; Physiological research; Remote Sensing Technology; Rugby; Satellite navigation systems; Soccer; Social Sciences; Sports training; Spreadsheet software; Spreadsheets; Studies; Team sports; Technology; Telemedicine - methods; Validity; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0225947

The current investigation compared the metabolic power and energetic characteristics in team sports with respect to positional lines and halves of match-play. Global positioning system (GPS) technology data were collected from 22 elite competitive hurling matches over a 3-season period. A total of 250 complete match-files were recorded with players split into positional groups of full-back; half-back; midfield; half-forward; full-forward. Raw GPS data were exported into a customized spreadsheet that provided estimations of metabolic power and speed variables across match-play events (average metabolic power [Pmet], high metabolic load distance [HMLD], total distance, relative distance, high-speed distance, maximal speed, accelerations, and deceleration). Pmet, HMLD, total, relative and high-speed distance were 8.9 ± 1.6 W·kg-1, 1457 ± 349 m, 7506 ± 1364 m, 107 ± 20 m·min-1 and 1169 ± 260 m respectively. Half-backs, midfielders and half-forwards outperformed full-backs (Effect Size [ES] = 1.03, 1.22 and 2.07 respectively), and full-forwards in Pmet (Effect Size [ES] = 1.70, 2.07 and 1.28 respectively), and HMLD (full-backs: ES = -1.23, -1.37 and -0.84 respectively, and full-forwards: ES = -1.77, -2.00 and -1.38 respectively). Half-backs (ES = -0.60), midfielders (ES = -0.81), and half-forwards (ES = -0.74) experienced a second-half temporal decrement in HMLD. The current investigation demonstrates that metabolic power may increase our understanding of the match-play demands placed on elite hurling players. Coaches may utilize these findings to construct training drills that replicate match-play demands.