Game outcome influence in external load demands during official competition in euroleague junior

Abstract

The study about the relationship between the match status and the technical-tactical effectiveness of players and teams have been realised, but it has not enough evidence whether this phenomenon directly influences the external load demands during the competition. The objective of the present investigation is to analyse the final result of each quarters in the external load demands performed by youth basketball players. 96 elite-level male u-18 basketball players, belonging to 8 teams, were registered during 13 matches of the final round of the Adidas Next Generation Tournament 16-17 using WIMU PRO^TM inertial devices (RealTrack Systems, Almeria, Spain), obtaining the time-motion analysis in indoor conditions through ultra-wide band technology (UWB). The T-Student statistical test of independent samples together with the Cohen's d effect size were used for the differential analysis in relation to the quarters game outcome: (a) equalized (<10 points) and (b) unequal (>10 points). Statistically significant differences were found in all the external load variables analysed, with the highest kinematic requirements in the Unequal Matches (p> 0.01; t = 2.59-3.31; d = 0.48-0.62), finding the greatest differences in the variable Impacts in all its ranges (3-5G, 5-8G,> 8G). In conclusion, the score is a determining factor in the external load that players endure during official matches. Therefore, it is necessary to reproduce these situations during training to subject players to stimuli similar to those that occur in the competition.