Physiological profile of water polo players in different competitive levels

• Published in: Journal of sports medicine and physical fitness 2010-03, Vol.50 (1), p.19-24
• Main Authors: MELCHIORRI, G, PADUA, E, SARDELLA, F, MANZI, V, TANCREDI, V, BONIFAZI, M
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adaptation, Physiological; Adult; Age Factors; Anaerobic Threshold - physiology; Analysis of Variance; Athletes; Biological and medical sciences; Coaches & managers; Competitive Behavior; Confidence Intervals; Exercise - physiology; Exercise Test; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Heart Rate; Humans; Lactates - blood; Male; Research Methodology; Sports Medicine; Statistics as Topic; Swimming; Swimming - physiology; Team Sports; Vertebrates: body movement. Posture. Locomotion. Flight. Swimming. Physical exercise. Rest. Sports; Water; Water polo; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0022-4707; 1827-1928

The purpose of this study was to determine if there are different physiological characteristics in water polo players of three different competitive levels (national team, NT, junior national team, NJ, and amateur club, AC). To better define the training levels of water polo players competing at different levels, we administered a shuttle swim test (SST, a specific test used by Italian coaches) and a classic speed-lactate test. The shuttle swim test is based on actions at maximum intensity followed by incomplete recoveries. To compare the athletes, we used their morphological characteristics, the speed during an incremental test associated with fixed blood lactate concentrations of 2 mmol*1-1 (Aerobic Threshold, AT) and 4 mmol*1-1 (Anaerobic Threshold, AnT), and the SST data (speed, heart rate and lactate concentration). The heart rate at the end of the SST was 164+/-12 beats*min-1 for NT, 166+/-10 beats*min-1 for NJ (no significant difference, P>0.05) and 179+/-9 beats*min-1 for AC (significantly different from NT and NJ, P