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Updated: Jun 20, 2026
11:15
Determining the Contribution of the Energy Systems During Exercise
Published on: March 20, 2012
Aerobic conditioning for team sport athletes
Nicholas M Stone1, Andrew E Kilding
1School of Sport and Recreation, AUT University, Auckland, New Zealand.
Sports Medicine (Auckland, N.Z.)
|September 23, 2009
Summary
Regular aerobic conditioning improves aerobic fitness and performance in team sports. Sport-specific training also enhances aerobic fitness, but its superiority for game performance needs more research.
Area of Science:
- Sports Science
- Exercise Physiology
Background:
- Team sport athletes need high aerobic fitness for sustained power output and recovery.
- Traditional aerobic conditioning effectively improves aerobic function and performance in team sports.
- Maintaining aerobic fitness and sport-specific skills during competition is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the effectiveness of traditional and sport-specific aerobic conditioning methods for team sport athletes.
- To investigate the impact of different conditioning approaches on aerobic fitness and game performance.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing research on aerobic conditioning in team sports.
- Comparison of traditional aerobic conditioning with sport-specific methods (e.g., small-sided games).
Main Results:
- Traditional aerobic conditioning significantly enhances aerobic fitness and team sport performance.
- Sport-specific conditioning methods can improve aerobic fitness but require careful planning.
- Current evidence suggests similar fitness improvements across different conditioning methods.
Conclusions:
- Both traditional and sport-specific conditioning can enhance aerobic fitness in team sport athletes.
- Further research is needed to determine if sport-specific conditioning offers superior benefits for actual game performance statistics.
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