Gabbett, Tim J. and Abernethy, Bruce and Jenkins, David G. (2012) Influence of field size on the physiological and skill demands of small-sided games in junior and senior rugby league players. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 26 (2). pp. 487-491. ISSN 1064-8011
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of changes in field size on the physiological and skill demands of small-sided games in elite junior and senior rugby league players. Sixteen elite senior rugby league players ([mean ± SE] age, 23.6 ± 0.5 years) and 16 elite junior rugby league players ([mean ± SE] age, 17.3 ± 0.3 years) participated in this study. On day 1, 2 teams played an 8-minute small-sided game on a small field (10-m width × 40-m length), whereas the remaining 2 teams played the small-sided game on a larger sized field (40-m width × 70-m length). On day 2, the groups were crossed over. Movement was recorded by a global positioning system unit sampling at 5 Hz. Games were filmed to count the number of possessions and the number and quality of disposals. The games played on a larger field resulted in a greater (p < 0.05) total distance covered, and distances covered in moderate, high, and very-high velocity movement intensities. Senior players covered more distance at moderate, high, and very-high intensities, and less distance at low and very-low intensities during small-sided games than junior players. Although increasing field size had no significant influence (p > 0.05) over the duration of recovery periods for junior players, larger field size significantly reduced (p < 0.05) the amount of short-, moderate-, and long-duration recovery periods in senior players. No significant between-group differences (p > 0.05) were detected for games played on a small or large field for the number or quality of skill involvements. These results suggest that increases in field size serve to increase the physiological demands of small-sided games but have minimal influence over the volume or quality of skill executions in elite rugby league players.
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| Item Type: | Article (Commonwealth Reporting Category C) |
|---|---|
| Refereed: | Yes |
| Item Status: | Live Archive |
| Additional Information: | Published version cannot be displayed due to copyright restrictions. |
| Faculty / Department / School: | No Faculty |
| Date Deposited: | 23 May 2017 01:28 |
| Last Modified: | 23 May 2017 01:28 |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | conditioning; constraints; fitness; skill acquisition; training stimulus |
| Fields of Research : | 11 Medical and Health Sciences > 1106 Human Movement and Sports Science > 110699 Human Movement and Sports Science not elsewhere classified |
| Socio-Economic Objective: | C Society > 92 Health > 9299 Other Health > 929999 Health not elsewhere classified |
| Identification Number or DOI: | 10.1519/JSC.0b013e318225a371 |
| URI: | http://eprints.usq.edu.au/id/eprint/32348 |
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