Activity Profile and Physical Performance of Match Play in Elite Futsal Players
João Nuno Ribeiro, Bruno Gonçalves, Diogo Coutinho, João Brito, Jaime Sampaio, Bruno Travassos
Abstract
Understanding the physical demands of futsal requires a precise quantification of the players’ activities during match play.This study aimed to: (1) describe external load, identifying differences between the 1st and 2nd halves in official futsal matches; (2) identify the most important external workload metrics to profile the players; and (3) identify the collinearity between variables in the analysis of physical performance of futsal players. Match external load data were collected from male players (n = 28) in six games of the Final Eight of the Portuguese Futsal Cup 2018. The players increased the distance covered per min at 12-18 km/h in the 2nd half (p 18 Km/h), decelerations (>-2 m/s-2) and metabolic power (W/Kg) are the variables that most discriminate load intensity of elite futsal players.