Sprint Performance of Elite Wheelchair Basketball Players: Applicability of a Laser System for Describing the Velocity Curve

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to develop a methodology to accurately analyze sprint performance of elite wheelchair basketball (WB) players in their own training context using a laser system and to analyze the velocity curve performed by the players regarding their functional classification and their playing position. Twelve WB players, from the Spanish men's national team, took part in an oncourt 20-m-sprint test. BioLaserSport® was used to obtain time, mean velocities (Vm), maximum velocities (Vmax), and distances at 90%, 95%, and 98% of their Vmax. Vm and Vmax reached high values in Classes II and III and in the guard playing position. The protocol developed with the laser system makes it possible to obtain a precise velocity curve in short sprints and allows easy analysis of decisive kinematic performance variables in WB players, showing immediate feedback to coaches and players. The normalized data allow an interpretation of how much, where, and when Vmax occurs along the test.

Relationship between Sprint Velocity and Peak Moment at Shoulder and Elbow in Elite Wheelchair Basketball Players

“…To gain insight into the specificity of this complex team sport, many studies have examined WB specific performance parameters developing different field test batteries dealing with several performance tests and abilities [ 10 , 11 , 12 ] but few of them focused in sprint ability using objective measurements [ 13 , 14 ]. For instance, in the study by De Groot et al [ 10 ], a fitness test battery of 10 skill tests was specifically designed for WB fitness assessment.…”

“…In this line, it has been noted that sprint ability is a crucial task in WB [ 15 ]. Previous research focused on classification levels and athletes’ sprint capacity with different results [ 11 , 13 ]. For instance, de Lira et al [ 16 ] registered correlations between functional classification of players and their level of anaerobic performance in terms of peak power, relative peak power and mean power.…”

“…For instance, de Lira et al [ 16 ] registered correlations between functional classification of players and their level of anaerobic performance in terms of peak power, relative peak power and mean power. In another study, Ferro et al [ 13 ], using a novel laser methodology for sprint assessment, found the higher speeds in the 2.0–2.5 players in a 20 m test. Previous findings show different results regarding the relationship between WB functional classification and sprint performance in WB players, so more research is needed in this topic.…”

“…In another recent study, relationships between strength-power values and velocity (using a 20 m sprint test) were found in a sample of non-elite WB players [ 20 ], suggesting that differences in explosiveness and absolute strength could account for differences between players at different levels of national competitions. These results could be very useful for coaches and technical staff to structure strength and conditioning training to improve sprint capacity, as it has been selected as one of the most important components of WB competition [ 13 ].…”

Speed profiles in wheelchair court sports; comparison of two methods for measuring wheelchair mobility performance

“…Wheelchair bound systems essentially measure wheel rotational speed to calculate forward speed, with data loggers based on reed-switches (Tolerico et al, 2007), potentiometers (Velocometer, Moss et al, 2003) or inertial sensors (Pansiot et al, 2011& van der Slikke et al, 2015a. If sensors are placed in a fixed global position, wheelchair speed is measured with either laser technology (Ferro et al, 2016) or radio frequency based technology (Rhodes et al, 2014). This technical note describes the comparison between two common systems for performance measurement in court sports, namely the inertial sensor based wheelchair mobility performance monitor (WMPM, van der Slikke et al, 2015a) and the global reference based indoor tracking system (ITS, Rhodes et al, 2014).…”