Validity and reliability of a unique aerobic field test for estimating VO 2 max among basketball players and the differences by gender, ages and relative age effect

Abstract

The game of basketball is characterized by short and intense bouts of activity at medium to high frequency. Basketball entails specific types of movements, physiological requirements and energy sources. The duration of physiological responses involving ATP, CP and glycolysis responses to this type of activity is 5-6 seconds for a single sprint, and a contribution of the aerobic system is of less than 10%. Recovery periods in basketball, as a rule, are not long enough to fill the gap for such high intensity activities. It is hard to achieve the same level of performance consistently over time in repeated sprints. This means that basketball players need great athletic ability in order to demonstrate speed, strength and power required to produce a successful performance most proficiently. Therefore, tests are needed to help coaches to monitor their players and ensure that they have the physiological capacity required for the game. The aim of fitness tests is to assess the condition of athletes in terms of each fitness component, in order to determine what needs to be improved through the training program and to conduct retests at set times to assess whether their condition has changed. The literature offers a number of widely used tests to measure aerobic and anaerobic fitness. This article reviews the physiological demands of basketball and analyzes the field tests commonly used at present. The article emphasizes the need for a specific test that will serve coaches and physical fitness trainers in monitoring their players.

This study aimed at developing and validating an innovative field test for measuring the aerobic capacity of basketball players during games. Such capacity is necessary for recovering from high frequency anaerobic actions such as sprinting and continuing to perform well. To recover, the body must rebuild its creatine phosphate reserve and emit accumulated phosphate in very short periods of time. The participants included 21 male basketball players on an elite youth league in Israel, aged 16.4 years on average. In addition to participating in the proposed test (Yo-Yo Recovery Test for Basketball Players) twice (test/re-test), the players also performed three previously validated tests (Bruce Protocol Stress Test, Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Level 1 Test, and Yo-Yo Endurance Test). For each test, the players¿ time and distance covered were documented, as were their maximum oxygen consumption and heart rate during recovery, and their perceived level of exertion. Our findings indicate the validity and reliability of the proposed aerobic field test for basketball players. Moreover, the test requires shorter times and distances for obtaining results than the other three tests. As such, this tool could be highly beneficial for basketball coaches in creating optimal training programs and game plans for each individual player and for the entire team.

When playing basketball, athletes must optimally perform repeated short sprints with minimal recovery time, requiring both anaerobic and aerobic abilities, including high VO2max. Yet differences have been seen between young male and female basketball players in this measure. The aim of this quantitative study was to examine differences in players¿ VO 2max by gender, age group, and relative age effect (RAE) using the novel Yo-Yo Recovery Test for Basketball Players. The study included 438 young basketball players, male and female, from a range of Israeli leagues, who were divided into three categories: under-14, under-16, and under-18. To assess RAE, the participants in each category were divided into three trimesters of four months, based on their date of birth. The participants¿ VO2max was assessed using the novel aerobic test. In this study, we hypothesized that male players will exhibit greater aerobic capacity than female players of the same age and that older players will exhibit greater aerobic capacity than younger ones. Our findings supported these hypotheses, as male players presented better physical fitness results than female players in all age categories. Moreover, female players in the under-18 category presented better results than those in the under14 category, but not more than those in the under-16. Differences in the relative age effect on performance were seen between the genders and within the female participants. While the male participants presented a steady improvement with age, the results of the girls showed a different pattern. The findings are presented in an achievement table that presents the expected physical fitness results by age and gender, for the benefit of basketball coaches and fitness trainers when assessing their players¿ aerobic capacity.