Running speeds at ventilatory threshold and maximal oxygen consumption discriminate futsal competitive level

We tested the hypothesis that maximal oxygen uptake and ventilatory threshold (VT), and their respective speeds (S(VO2max) and S(VT)) could discriminate the competitive level of futsal players. The outfield players of a high-level Brazilian professional futsal team (N = 9; age 22.6 ± 4.2 years; body mass 70.6 ± 6.4 kg; height 174.3 ± 6.0 cm), and a semiprofessional team (N = 11; age 17.2 ± 0.8 years; body mass 70.4 ± 6.5 kg; height 175.0 ± 4.0 cm), volunteered for participation in this study. Subsequently, they were evaluated during an incremental treadmill test for the determination of cardiorespiratory variables, S(VO2max), and S(VT). Both teams exhibited a similar body mass and VO2max (p = 0.542 and p = 0.427), whereas the S(VO2max) and the S(VT) were significantly higher in the professional team (p = 0.001 and p = 0.030, respectively). Additionally, the professional team exhibited both lower HR at VT (p = 0.046) and HRmax (p = 0.002). However, the %HRmax at VT did not differ between groups (p = 0.912). These results remained similar after adjusting for the age differences between groups (p = 0.106). It was concluded that both S(VO2max) and S(VT) were sensitive for detecting differences in the competitive level of futsal players, whereas VO2max and VT were not.