Abstract
Objectives: This study described the deceleration efforts of the Australian men's field hockey team during the 2016 Olympics by categorising efforts into 'bands' of intensity; and comparing the deceleration intensity and frequency by player position, game period and opponent.
Design: Descriptive retrospective analysis.
Methods: Global positioning system sensors (MinimaxX S4, Catapult Sports Pty. Ltd., Melbourne, Australia; 10Hz) were worn by 15 male field hockey players during six games of the 2016 Olympic tournament.
Results: There were 8998 individual deceleration efforts (<=-3 ms(-2)) performed over the tournament with the most intense effort measured at -13.6 ms(-2). Deceleration intensity 'bands' were calculated using Receiver Operator Characteristic (ROC) curves as low intensity = -3 to -5.99 ms(-2); medium intensity = -6 to -8.99 ms(-2); high intensity = -9 to -11.99 ms(-2); and, very high intensity = <-12 ms(-2). There were no significantly different decelerations between field positions but decelerations performed within game period one were more intense than game period two (-0.11 +/- 0.01 ms(-2), p < 0.001). Deceleration efforts were more frequent in game period one than two [X-2(3, N = 8997) = 12.00, p = 0.007].
Conclusions: Decelerations are common in elite field hockey and very high intensities are present. These findings, in conjunction with other metrics can be used as a tool to monitor the load associated with training and match play in field hockey. (C) 2018 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.