ORIGINAL PAPER
The physiological response of athletes with impairments in wheelchair basketball game
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1
Jozef Pilsudski University of Physical Education in Warsaw, Faculty of Rehabilitation, Poland
2
Jozef Pilsudski University of Physical Education in Warsaw, Faculty of Physical Education, Poland
Submission date: 2018-11-13
Acceptance date: 2019-03-20
Publication date: 2019-04-01
Hum Mov. 2019;20(4):1-7
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ABSTRACT
Purpose:
The aim of this study was to analyze the physiological response of WB athletes related to type of impairment and functional classification in game situations
Material and methods:
Overall, 15 male players from the Polish National Wheelchair Basketball Team were observed during friendly
and championships games (2017 and 2018). Heart rate (peak and average: HRpeak, HRav) and the number of sprints were
monitored for each player per a full game with Polar Team Pro. For each athlete, 5 HR zones were calculated based on peak
oxygen uptake, anaerobic threshold, HRpeak, body weight, and age (aerobic laboratory test). Heart rate reserve (HRR) and
percentage of HRR (%HRR) were established. Results were compared between athletes related to the type of impairment
(spinal cord injuries and other physical impairments) and functional classification (group A: 1.0–2.5 points; group B:
3.0–4.5 points).
Results:
The results showed the specificity of WB games, i.e. all players were found in all HR zones with different contribution.
Group A athletes played less than those form group B in the 5th HR zone (15% and 21%, respectively), had significantly
lower HRpeak, HRav, HRR, %HRR, and did more sprints
Conclusions:
The study confirmed a differential specificity of a WB game. Significant differences were observed in the
physiological response between WB athletes representing different functional levels. This knowledge is important to plan
preseason conditioning exercises for individual WB athletes. Further studies are needed to better understand the physiological
response of WB players.