Heart rate, blood lactate concentration, and time–motion analysis of female basketball players during competition

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the physiological demands and movement patterns of female basketball players after changes in the rules of the game. Nine varsity players were studied during nine official games. Each game was videotaped to identify the frequencies of the main movements performed, heart rate was recorded continuously, and blood samples were collected to determine blood lactate concentration when the competition rules allowed. The main results showed that the players performed on average 652 ± 128 movements per game, which corresponded to a change in activity every 2.82 s. Mean heart rate was 165 ± 9 beats · min⁻¹ (89.1% of maximum heart rate) for total time and 170 ± 8 beats · min⁻¹ (92.5% of maximum) for live time. Mean blood lactate concentration was 5.2 ± 2.7 mmol · l⁻¹ (55.9% of maximum blood lactate concentration). In addition, heart rates were significantly higher in the first half than the second half of games. These results indicate: (1) a greater physiological load compared with previous studies on female players tested before the rules modification (Beam & Merrill, 1994 Beam, W. C. and Merrill, T. L. 1994. Analysis of heart rates recorded during female collegiate basketball (abstract). Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 26: S66 [Crossref] [Google Scholar] ; McArdle et al., 1971 McArdle, W. , Magel, J. and Kyvallos, L. 1971. Aerobic capacity, heart rate, and estimated energy cost during women's competitive basketball. Research Quarterly, 42: 178–186. [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] [Google Scholar] ) and (2) lower movement frequencies compared with male players competing under modern rules (Ben Abdelkrim et al., 2007 Ben Abdelkrim, N. B. , El Fazaa, S. and El Ati, J. 2007. Time–motion analysis and physiological data of elite under-19-year-old basketball players during competition. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 41: 69–75. [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] [Google Scholar] ). These observations must be taken into account by coaches and conditioning specialists working with female players.