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JOURNAL
OF
SPORTS SCIENCE &
MEDICINE
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Research
article
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PROFILE OF POSITION MOVEMENT DEMANDS IN ELITE JUNIOR AUSTRALIAN RULES FOOTBALLERS |
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James P. Veale and Alan J. Pearce  |
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School of Sport and Exercise Science, Centre for Ageing, Rehabilitation, Exercise and Sport, Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia |
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© Journal of Sports Science and Medicine (2009) 8, 320 - 326 |
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| ABSTRACT | |||
| This study investigated the positional movement patterns in elite
junior Australian Football (AF). Thirty players (17.1 ± 0.9 years) participating
in this study were tracked over seven home games of the regular 2006 Victorian
junior (Under 18) league season. Using lapsed-time video analysis, each
position for an entire match was videotaped on three separate occasions
over the course of the season. Data analysed included the number of individual
efforts, duration and frequency of efforts; distance and percentage time
for the classifications of standing, walking jogging, running and sprinting.
Results showed that the midfield position travelled the greatest distance
(4173 ± 238 m per quarter; p < 0.05; ES = .94) whilst the full forward/full
back travelled the least (2605 ± 348 m per quarter, p < 0.05, ES = 1.21).
For all positions, walking or jogging accounted for the greatest number
of efforts (45-55%), conversely running and sprinting accounted for 5-13%
of match efforts. The majority of efforts across all classifications were
between 0-3.99 s. The data from this study provides further evidence that
AF is an intermittent sport characterised by high intensity movements separated
by low intensity movements at a ratio of one high intensity effort every
12-40 s. However, careful interpretation of the data is required when training
junior AF players for specific positions, given the specific group studied.
Key words: Australian football, movement patterns, time-motion analysis. |
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