Influence of game period and game action in the physical requirements of basketball referees / Influencia del periodo y acción de juego en las exigencias físicas de árbitros de baloncesto

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to identify internal and external workload demands in professional referees, and to analyse the influence of the situational variables Game Period and Game Action. Three professional referees of the highest category were monitored during a national elite game. WIMU PRO™ inertial devices were used for workload monitoring via microtechnology, ultra-wide band and heart rate (HR) telemetry. The referees worked at around 82%HRMAX and spent 75% of the time at walking-jogging speed (0-12km/h). Game Action influenced the external workload (total distance and per intensities, impacts, player load, maximum and mean speed) while Game Period influenced the internal load (HRMEAN, HRMAX, %HRMAX and per intensities). Workload quantification in competition and the evaluation of the effect of situational variables are essential for setting up performance profiles and designing individual programmes that improve the training of basketball referees. (AU)