Physical Movement Demands of Training and Matches across a Full Competition Cycle in Elite Netball

Abstract

Elite netballers perform different training and match sessions across the annual competition cycle. A comprehensive exploration of the physical movement demands imposed on the athletes and the distribution of external workloads across these sessions are yet to be reported in the literature. This study aims to quantify the movement demands of elite netball across all session types (pre-season training, pre-season practice match, pre-season cup matches, in-season training, in-season practice matches, and competition matches). Knowledge of these demands will allow for more precise season planning and may assist with the management of athletes’ workloads. Twelve elite female netballers were monitored across a full competition cycle using a local positioning system (LPS) to collect spatiotemporal (i.e., distance, velocity, and acceleration measures) and accelerometer-derived measures (i.e., PlayerLoad measures). Metreage and PlayerLoad per minute for match-play sessions (practice and competition) were higher than for training sessions for all positional groups. Differences were present across session types, and within and between positional groups, which should be incorporated into full season planning (i.e., pre-season, in-season, and finals). Coaches and support staff should be cognisant of the potential influence of changing a player’s position, or altering session structure or duration, on the workload for the athlete.