1. Mechanical Properties of Sprinting in Elite Rugby Union and Rugby League.
- Author
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Cross, Matt R., Brughelli, Matt, Brown, Scott R., Samozino, Pierre, Gill, Nicholas D., Cronin, John B., and Morin, Jean-Benoît
- Subjects
ANTHROPOMETRY ,BIOMECHANICS ,BIOPHYSICS ,COMPARATIVE studies ,CONFIDENCE intervals ,EXERCISE physiology ,MATHEMATICS ,REGRESSION analysis ,RESEARCH evaluation ,RESEARCH funding ,RUGBY football ,RUNNING ,SCIENTIFIC apparatus & instruments ,STATISTICS ,STATISTICAL reliability ,EFFECT sizes (Statistics) ,INTER-observer reliability ,ELITE athletes ,CROSS-sectional method ,EXERCISE intensity ,DATA analysis software ,DESCRIPTIVE statistics - Abstract
Purpose: To compare mechanical properties of overground sprint running in elite rugby union and rugby league athletes. Methods: Thirty elite rugby code (15 rugby union and 15 rugby league) athletes participated in this cross-sectional analysis. Radar was used to measure maximal overground sprint performance over 20 or 30 m (forwards and backs, respectively). In addition to time at 2, 5, 10, 20, and 30 m, velocity-time signals were analyzed to derive external horizontal force--velocity relationships with a recently validated method. From this relationship, the maximal theoretical velocity, external relative and absolute horizontal force, horizontal power, and optimal horizontal force for peak power production were determined. Results: While differences in maximal velocity were unclear between codes, rugby union backs produced moderately faster split times, with the most substantial differences occurring at 2 and 5 m (ES 0.95 and 0.86, respectively). In addition, rugby union backs produced moderately larger relative horizontal force, optimal force, and peak power capabilities than rugby league backs (ES 0.73-0.77). Rugby union forwards had a higher absolute force (ES 0.77) despite having ~12% more body weight than rugby league forwards. Conclusions: In this elite sample, rugby union athletes typically displayed greater short-distance sprint performance, which may be linked to an ability to generate high levels of horizontal force and power. The acceleration characteristics presented in this study could be a result of the individual movement and positional demands of each code. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2015
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