PHYSIOLOGICAL AREA   

Medicina dello Sport 2023 March;76(1):44-57

DOI: 10.23736/S0025-7826.23.04244-8

Copyright © 2023 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English, Italian

Heart rate response and contextual variables in professional rink hockey competitions

Matteo FORTUNATI ¹ ✉, Emiliano SOLDINI ², Matteo BERETTA PICCOLI ³, Nemanja LAKICEVIC ⁴, Oscar CRISAFULLI ⁵, Patrik DRID ⁶, Tiziano GEMELLI ¹, Giuseppe D’ANTONA^{1, 5}

¹ Department of Public Health, Experimental and Forensic Medicine, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy; ² Department of Business Economics, Health, and Social Care (DEASS), Competence Centre for Healthcare Practices and Policies, University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland, Manno, Switzerland; ³ Department of Business Economics, Health, and Social Care (DEASS), Rehabilitation Research Laboratory 2rLab, University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland, Manno, Switzerland; ⁴ Unit Sport and Exercise Sciences Research, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy; ⁵ CRIAMS-Sport Medicine Centre Voghera, University of Pavia, Voghera, Pavia, Italy; ⁶ Faculty of Sport and Physical Education, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia

BACKGROUND: Professional rink hockey is a highly demanding intermittent sport. This study investigates the heart rate response (HRR) during official rink hockey league matches and explores the influence of players’ and match-related contextual variables on HRR.
METHODS: Polar Team app was used to monitor heart rate. The variables extrapolated were time spent at <60%, 60-70%, 70-80%, 80-90%, and >90% of the maximum heart rate (HRmax) and relative HRmax. Multilevel regression models were used to explore the associations between dependent variables, player-, and match-related characteristics. Fifty-six matches during two regular seasons of the major league in a competitive-elite Italian rink hockey team were monitored.
RESULTS: Overall, players spent ~40% of the time in the light intensity zones (<70% of HRmax), ~15% in the aerobic zone (70-80% HRmax), ~24% within the anaerobic zone (80-90% HRmax), and ~17-20% into the maximum effort zone (>90% HRmax). HRR was mainly related to training experience and the importance of each player within the team. In fact, starter players spend much more time at intensities >80% HRmax than first and second change players (P<0.001).
CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, starter players have a higher cardiovascular effort imposed by the match than first and second change players due to their primary role in the team. Therefore, we advise prescribing a weekly training plan based on the average HRR response for the players’ category obtained during the competition to optimize recovery and reduce cumulative fatigue over the season.

KEY WORDS: Athletes; Hockey; Team sports; Heart rate