Document Type
Article
Rights
Available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike 4.0 International Licence
Disciplines
3.3 HEALTH SCIENCES, Sport and fitness sciences
Abstract
The current study examined how the impact of pitch dimensions influences physiological and running performance during 4-minute small-sided games (SSGs). Twenty-four (n = 24) hurling players were monitored with global positioning system and heart rate monitors during the in-season training period. Total distance (in meters), high-speed running distance (in meters) (≥17 km·h), very high-speed running distance (≥22 km·h) (in meters), total accelerations (n), acceleration distance (in meters), and peak and mean velocity (in kilometers per hour) were calculated. Additionally, SSGs rate of perceived exertion (RPESSG; AU), % maximum heart rate, and individualized training impulse (iTRIMP; AU) were collected. The current results show that the manipulation of SSGs pitch size has an impact on the running performance and physiological responses. The data showed that SSGs played on large pitches (SSG80 × 20 m) had greater running demands than medium (SSG60 × 20 m) or small (SSG40 × 20 m) pitches, with significantly more distance covered in all movement categories. Total distance covered at high speed was 354 ± 111 m on a large pitch, 254 ± 72 m on a medium pitch, and 198 ± 62 m on a small pitch. Large pitch dimensions resulted in greater physiological and perceptual demands on players (higher %HRmax, iTRIMP [AU], and RPESSG [AU]) compared with medium and small pitches. The current data help applied practitioners to understand further how modifying different aspects of SSGs can alter the running and physiological responses of players. Moreover, applied practitioners now have consistent information to design and optimize their training time in mixing the physical, technical, and tactical elements within specific SSGs pitch dimensions.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1519/jsc.0000000000001624
Recommended Citation
Malone S, Collins KD. The Influence of Pitch Size on Running Performance and Physiological Responses During Hurling-Specific Small-Sided Games. J Strength Cond Res. 2017 Jun;31(6):1518-1524. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000001624. PMID: 28538300.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.
Publication Details
Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research
Published version:
https://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/Fulltext/2017/06000/The_Influence_of_Pitch_Size_on_Running_Performance.8.aspx
https://doi.org/10.1519/jsc.0000000000001624