Elite junior Australian football players experience significantly different loads across levels of competition and training modes

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Title

Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research

Volume

32

Issue

7

First Page

2031

Last Page

2038

PubMed ID

29528958

Publisher

National Strength and Conditioning Association / Wolters Kluwer

School

Office of DVC (Research)

RAS ID

28803

Comments

Lathlean, T. J. H., Gastin, P. B., Newstead, S., & Finch, C. F. (2018). Elite junior Australian football players experience significantly different loads across levels of competition and training modes. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 32(7), 2031-2038. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000002568

Abstract

Well-developed physical qualities such as high jumping ability, running endurance, acceleration, and speed can help aspiring junior elite Australian football (AF) players transition to the Australian Football League competition. To do so, players need to experience sufficient load to enhance their physical resilience without increasing their risk of negative outcomes in terms of impaired wellness or injury. The aim of this study was to investigate the differences in load for different levels of competition and training modes across one competitive season. Elite junior AF players (n = 562, aged 17.7 ± 0.3, range: 16-18 years) were recruited from 9 teams across the under-18 state league competition in Victoria. All players recorded their training and match intensities according to the session rating of perceived exertion method. Training sessions were categorized according to skills, strength, conditioning, and other activities, whereas matches were identified according to level of competition. The loads in U18 state league matches (656.7 ± 210.9 au) were significantly higher (p = 0.027) than those in school matches (643.3 ± 260.9 au) and those in U18 representative matches (617.2 ± 175.4). Players, who undertook more than one match per week, experienced significantly less load in subsequent matches (p < 0.001). Furthermore, U18 state league training sessions carried the most load when compared with other training modes. This article highlights that different combinations of training and match involvement affect overall player load, which may predispose players to negative outcomes such as impaired wellness or increased injury risk.

DOI

10.1519/JSC.0000000000002568

Access Rights

free_to_read

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