The relation between physical qualities and activity profiles in men’s lacrosse players

BACKGROUND: This study was designed to quantify the relationship between physical tests and game activity. METHODS: We measured physical ability (20 m dash, 50 m dash, proagility shuttle, 12 minutes test, agility T-test). Then, we investigated the activity profiles of 24 men’s lacrosse players [attack (AT): 5, midfield (MD): 13, defense (DF): 6] using a global positioning system (GPS) and a player acceleration apparatus to determine their movement and physiological load. RESULTS: The study revealed that in 13 matches (N.=302), top speed was significantly correlated with the 20 m dash, the 50 m dash, and the proagility shuttle (statistical significance: 0.05%). Distance, walk distance, and jog distance for the AT and DF groups were significantly greater than those of the MD group, but the MD group’s top speed and sprint distance were the highest. Multiple-comparison tests showed that top speed, run distance, and sprint distance in the third and fourth quarters were significantly smaller than in the first quarter. CONCLUSIONS: The development of physical qualities likely helps improve the in-game performance of lacrosse players. Particularly, an intermittent method congruent with exercise patterns in actual competitions should be used in training, and this study is useful in developing training programs for game tactics according to positional characteristics.