Maximum speed exposures in Australian rules football: do methods matter?

Area of Science:

• Sports Science
• Biomechanics
• Performance Analysis

Background:

• Accurate measurement of near-to-maximum speed (MS) exposure is crucial for optimizing training and preventing injuries in elite athletes.
• Different methods for determining maximum speed (MS) can yield varying exposure data, potentially impacting training prescription.
• Professional Australian rules football (AF) players require precise monitoring of high-intensity running demands.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare weekly near-to-maximum speed (MS) exposure data derived from pre-season sprint assessments (PSSA) versus in-season monitoring in professional Australian rules football (AF) players.
• To evaluate the influence of different speed thresholds (≥80%, ≥85%, ≥90%, ≥95% of individual maximum speed) on the discrepancy between the two determination methods.
• To determine if maximum speed (MS) determination methods can be used interchangeably for practical training and injury risk management.

Main Methods:

• Forty-seven professional Australian rules football (AF) players participated over two consecutive seasons.
• Global Positioning System (GPS) technology (10 Hz) was used for both pre-season sprint assessments (3 × 50m maximal efforts) and continuous in-season monitoring (training and matches).
• Weekly near-to-maximum speed (MS) exposure counts were aggregated for speeds ≥80%, ≥85%, ≥90%, and ≥95% of individual maximum speeds, comparing PSSA-derived versus in-season monitoring data.

Main Results:

• Weekly near-to-MS exposures were significantly lower when determined from in-season monitoring compared to PSSA across all speed thresholds (p < 0.0001).
• The magnitude of this difference was greater at lower speed criteria (≥80% and ≥85%) and became trivial at higher criteria (≥90% and ≥95%).
• No significant effect of playing position was observed on near-to-MS exposure data (P ≥ 0.161).

Conclusions:

• While lower speed thresholds show meaningful differences, higher speed criteria (≥90%, ≥95%) for near-to-maximum speed (MS) exposure are minimally affected by the determination method (PSSA vs. in-season).
• Maximum speed (MS) determination methods may be used interchangeably, particularly when focusing on higher intensity efforts relevant to performance and injury prevention.
• Discrete sprint assessments may not be essential for determining near-to-maximum speed (MS) exposure when in-season monitoring is consistently applied.