Aerobic Capacity According to Playing Role and Position in Elite Female Basketball Players Using Laboratory and Field Tests
in International Journal of Sports Physiology and PerformanceClick name to view affiliation
Purpose: To compare the aerobic capacity of elite female basketball players between playing roles and positions determined using maximal laboratory and field tests. Methods: Elite female basketball players from the National Croatian League were grouped according to playing role (starter: n = 8; bench: n = 12) and position (backcourt: n = 11; frontcourt: n = 9). All 20 players completed 2 maximal exercise tests in a crossover fashion 7 days apart. First, the players underwent a laboratory-based continuous running treadmill test with metabolic measurement to determine their peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak). The players then completed a maximal field-based 30-15 Intermittent Fitness Test (30-15 IFT) to estimate VO2peak. The VO2peak was compared using multiple linear regression analysis with bootstrap standard errors and playing role and position as predictors. Results: During both tests, starters attained a significantly higher VO2peak than bench players (continuous running treadmill: 47.4 [5.2] vs 44.7 [3.5] mL·kg−1·min−1, P = .05, moderate; 30-15 IFT: 44.9 [2.1] vs 41.9 [1.7] mL·kg−1·min−1, P < .001, large), and backcourt players attained a significantly higher VO2peak than frontcourt players (continuous running treadmill: 48.1 [3.8] vs 43.0 [3.3] mL·kg−1·min−1, P < .001, large; 30-15 IFT: 44.2 [2.2] vs 41.8 [2.0] mL·kg−1·min−1, P < .001, moderate). Conclusions: Starters (vs bench players) and guards (vs forwards and centers) possess a higher VO2peak irrespective of using laboratory or field tests. These data highlight the role- and position-specific importance of aerobic fitness to inform testing, training, and recovery practices in elite female basketball.
Scanlan and Dalbo are with the Human Exercise and Training Laboratory, Central Queensland University, Rockhampton, QLD, Australia. Stojanović and Milanović are with the Faculty of Sport and Physical Education, University of Niš, Niš, Serbia. Milanović is also with the Science and Research Center Koper, Inst for Kinesiology Research, Koper, Slovenia. Teramoto is with the Div of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA. Jeličić is with the Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Split, Split, Croatia.
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