Relationship of Individual Athlete External Load, Session Rating of Perceived Exertion, and Athlete Playing Status Across a Collegiate Women’s Basketball Season
Faith S. A. Brown,
Jennifer B. Fields,
Andrew R. Jagim,
Erica L. King,
Robert E. Baker,
Angela Miller,
Margaret T. Jones
Affiliations
Faith S. A. Brown
Frank Pettrone Center for Sports Performance, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA 22030, USA
Jennifer B. Fields
Frank Pettrone Center for Sports Performance, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA 22030, USA
Andrew R. Jagim
Frank Pettrone Center for Sports Performance, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA 22030, USA
Erica L. King
Frank Pettrone Center for Sports Performance, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA 22030, USA
Robert E. Baker
Sport, Recreation, and Tourism Management, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA 22030, USA
Angela Miller
Research Methods and Educational Psychology, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA 22030, USA
Margaret T. Jones
Frank Pettrone Center for Sports Performance, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA 22030, USA
External (EL) and internal (IL) load are commonly used methods used to quantify training load in team sports. Playing time and playing position may influence the training loads for specific athletes throughout a season. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the effect of athlete playing status and individual in-season practices on EL and IL across a collegiate women’s basketball season. Female basketball athletes were classified as high-minute (HMA; ≥15 min/game) or low-minute (LMA; p < 0.001). A location-scale model indicated that the within-person variability of IL across all athletes was 3.29 AU but was not due to athlete playing status. It is recommended to base in-season training on individual loads and game demands to promote athlete readiness and improved sport performance.
