Using the interaction of speed and acceleration to detect repeated-sprint activity in team sports

A repeated shuttle sprint test with female and male international field hockey players is reliable and associated with single sprint but not intermittent endurance performance

“…Spencer et al [11] published some of the earliest field hockey time-motion analyses which incorporated repeated sprint analysis, finding that 17 bouts of repeated sprints (minimum of 3 sprints, with a mean recovery time less than 21 s) occur during a match. Similar data was later reported by Lythe & Kilding [2] who found on average 37 high-intensity efforts were performed per game, with 16% of recovery times between efforts being <20 s, and a further 13% between 20-40 s. It has also been suggested recently that these earlier reports of repeated sprint activity in field hockey may have underestimated their frequency due to the use of velocitybased definitions only [9]. Recent team sport research has incorporated other high-intensity movements such as jumping or accelerating into investigations of repeated high-intensity bouts, which are associated with high energetic costs and warrant inclusion as a 'high-intensity activity' [10,13].…”

“…While these approaches to defining repeated sprints modified the durations, number of efforts per bout and recovery durations, they were still typified by short-duration, high-intensity efforts interspersed with brief recoveries, as per earlier velocity-based investigations [ 2 , 4 ]. Taken together, this time-motion data clearly indicates that the frequency of repeated sprints in field hockey is increasing [ 8 ], that the incorporation of high-intensity movements with high energetic costs (such as accelerations, decelerations and changes of direction) into the definition of a sprint is warranted [ 9 ], and that when all high-intensity movements are considered, repeated sprint bouts occur more frequently than previously thought [ 9 ].…”

“…While no data was reported on repeated high-intensity bouts, it was found that players performed 92–110 high-intensity acceleration and deceleration efforts throughout a match, which is higher than the 28 efforts previously reported under the old rules of 2 x 35 min playing periods [ 4 ]. Repeated bouts of acceleration have previously been found to occur more frequently than repeated-sprints in football referees [ 14 ], and when velocity-defined sprints and accelerations are considered together, bouts of repeated sprint activity in field hockey have been found to be more demanding and occur more frequently (3.6 bouts per match, compared to 0.5 for a velocity only definition) [ 9 ]. While these approaches to defining repeated sprints modified the durations, number of efforts per bout and recovery durations, they were still typified by short-duration, high-intensity efforts interspersed with brief recoveries, as per earlier velocity-based investigations [ 2 , 4 ].…”

“…Field hockey is a high-intensity intermittent team sport with a range of physical match demands including walking, running, sprinting, accelerations, decelerations, and changes of direction [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]. Relative to other team sports, field hockey is performed at a very high intensity (in excess of 130 m.min -1 ) [4].…”

The effect of eccentric hamstring strength on the change of direction speed of professional ice hockey players

“…Ice skating is a series of muscle contractions that generate the force to move the skater across the ice (Polglaze et al, 2020). The stronger those muscles are, the more force they can generate and the faster the skater will be.…”