Volume and Intensity of Locomotor Activity in International Men's Field Hockey Matches Over a 2-Year Period

Carl A James,Oliver R Gibson,Ashley G B Willmott,Craig M Stewart,Aishwar Dhawan

doi:10.3389/fspor.2021.653364

Carl A James, Oliver R Gibson + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2021.653364

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Abstract

The locomotor demands of international men's field hockey matches were investigated across positions (DEF, MID, FWD) and playing quarters. Volume (i.e., total values) and intensity (i.e., relative to playing time) data were collected using 10-Hz GPS/100-Hz accelerometer units from the #11 world-ranked (WR) team, during 71 matches, against 24 opponents [WR 12 ± 11 (range, 1–60)]. Mean ± SD team total distance (TD) was 4,861 ± 871 m, with 25% (1,193 ± 329 m) “high-speed running” (>14.5 km h−1) and 8% (402 ± 144 m) “sprinting” (>19.0 km h−1). Reduced TD (range, −3 to 4%) and average speed (range, −3.4 to 4.7%) occurred through subsequent quarters, vs. Q1 (p < 0.05). A “large” negative relationship (r = −0.64) was found between playing duration and average speed. Positional differences (p < 0.05) were identified for all volume metrics including; playing duration (DEF, 45:50 ± 8:00 min; MID, 37:37 ± 7:12 min; FWD, 33:32 ± 6:22 min), TD (DEF, 5,223 ± 851 m; MID, 4,945 ± 827 m; FWD, 4,453 ± 741 m), sprinting distance (DEF, 315 ± 121 m; MID, 437 ± 144 m; FWD, 445 ± 129 m), and acceleration efforts (>2 m s−2; DEF, 48 ± 12; MID, 51 ± 11; FWD, 50 ± 14). Intensity variables similarly revealed positional differences (p < 0.05) but with a different pattern between positions; average speed (DEF, 115 ± 10 m min−1; MID, 132 ± 10 m min−1; FWD, 134 ± 15 m min−1), sprinting (DEF, 7 ± 3 m min−1; MID, 12 ± 4 m min−1; FWD, 14 ± 4 m min−1), and accelerations (DEF, 1.1 ± 0.3 n min−1; MID, 1.4 ± 0.2 n min−1; FWD, 1.5 ± 0.3 n min−1). Physical outputs reduced across playing quarters, despite unlimited substitutions, demonstrating the importance of optimizing physical preparation prior to international competition. Volume and intensity data highlight specific positional requirements, with forwards displaying shorter playing durations but greater high-intensity activities than defenders.

Highlights

International hockey tournaments are characterized by a high “density” of matches, with the Olympic Games requiring players to play eight matches within 16 days, to win a medal
Since the 2013/2015 rule changes, it has been suggested that players cover a similar total distance (∼8,400 m) (Ihsan et al, 2018) within the modern game, compared with the historical 70-min format (∼8,000–8,500 m) (Lythe and Kilding, 2011; Buglione et al, 2013)
Whilst extrapolated data enables comparisons against other sports and/or hockey match formats, these data remain hypothetical and do not represent the actual activity experienced by players (Polglaze et al, 2018; Lombard et al, 2021)

Summary

Introduction

International hockey (sometimes referred to as “field hockey”) tournaments are characterized by a high “density” of matches, with the Olympic Games requiring players to play eight matches within 16 days, to win a medal. This includes, unlimited substitutions (1992), “fast” restarts (2009), the addition of a sixth outfield substitute (2013) and in 2015, changing the match format from two 35–min halves, to four 15–min quarters (International Hockey Federation, 2019) Emerging evidence indicates these changes have altered the locomotor demands, with an increased proportion of high-intensity activities (Ihsan et al, 2018; Morencos et al, 2018); the reporting of the locomotor demands of men’s hockey since 2013 and 2015 remains limited. The physical demands of hockey may be monitored using wearable miniature electro-mechanical devices, providing both global positioning system (GPS) and inertial measurement unit (IMU) data (Cummins et al, 2013) These devices provide distances traveled at different velocities (Willmott et al, 2018) and can quantify specific movements such as accelerations, decelerations, or changes of direction (James et al, 2021). A comprehensive understanding of the locomotor demands of international hockey (i.e., running volume and intensity) at both a team and positional level is necessary, to facilitate effective training prescription, recovery strategies, and minimize injury risk (Bourdon et al, 2017)

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