Physical Demands of Elite Women's Ultimate Frisbee Between Halves and Across Matches in an International Tournament

• Published in: Journal of strength and conditioning research 2022-03, Vol.36 (3), p.838-844
• Main Authors: Palmer, Jodie A., Landers, Grant, Buttfield, Alec, Polglaze, Ted
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Athletic Performance; Australia; Female; Geographic Information Systems; Heart Rate; Humans; Metabolism; Running; Tournaments & championships; Ultimate frisbee; Women
• ISSN: 1064-8011; 1533-4287
• DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000003527

ABSTRACTPalmer, JA, Landers, G, Buttfield, A, and Polglaze, T. Physical demands of elite womenʼs Ultimate Frisbee between halves and across matches in an international tournament. J Strength Cond Res XX(X)000–000, 2020—To quantify the physical match demands of elite womenʼs Ultimate Frisbee across a tournament, elite female Ultimate players (N = 9) from the Australian Under 24 Womenʼs team wore global positioning system units in all 12 matches of the 2018 Under 24 World Championship competition. Temporal, displacement, and energetic parameters were obtained. Distribution of activity above and below a generic speed threshold (12.42 km·h) and its equivalent metabolic power value (16.02 W·kg) were determined. Players spent 12:44 ± 6:41 min:s on the field, covered 1,559 ± 741 m and expended 8.95 ± 4.21 kJ·kg during a match. The mean stint duration was 2:00 ± 0:48 min:s, mean bench duration was 13:25 ± 7:05 min:s, and work-to-recovery ratio was 0.22 ± 0.11. Players performed 57 ± 27 high-speed runs per match and 45 ± 20 high-accelerations. Mean match speed was 127 ± 18 m·min, mean metabolic power was 12.2 ± 1.7 W·kg, and mean intermittency index was 1.24 ± 0.04. No differences were found between halves for any parameters. Compared with the first 4 matches, the last 4 matches were shorter and more intense (p < 0.05). At the international level, Ultimate is an intense and highly intermittent sport, characterized by brief playing stints interspersed with long periods of recovery, which allow playing intensity to be maintained throughout a match and elevated in the latter stages of a tournament. The information gained from this research can be used to guide the creation of Ultimate-specific conditioning programs for elite female players.