Do all matches require the same effort? Influence of contextualfactors on physical demands during official female handballcompetitions
Carlos García-Sánchez, Rafael Manuel Navarro, Daniel Mon‐López, Raúl Nieto-Acevedo, Enrique Cañadas-García, Alfonso de la Rubia
Abstract
Division were monitored across 13 official home matches. Total distance covered (TDC), high-speed running distance (HSR), high-intensity breaking distance (HIBD), accelerations (ACC), decelerations (DEC) and PlayerLoad (PL) were collected in absolute and relative values (normalized by playing time) using a local positioning system (WIMU PRO, Realtrack Systems S.L., Almería, Spain). HSR, HSR/min and HIBD/min decreased during the second half (p < 0.05; small effects). Regarding the level of the opponent, high-level and middle-level teams elicited higher TDC/min, HIBD/min and PL/min than low-level teams (p < 0.05; small-moderate effects). Additionally, starter players exhibited higher absolute values of external load (TDC, HSR, HIBD, ACC, DEC and PL) compared to non-starters (p < 0.05; moderate-large effects). Match outcome did not affect the physical demands (p > 0.05). The study indicated that halves of the match, level of the opponent, and player role influenced external load experienced by players during official matches; specifically, starter players showed higher absolute values of external load compared to non-starters. This information should be considered in managing load and developing strategies to minimize fatigue and enhance performance during matches.