RT Journal Article
T1 Relative acceleration and maximum velocity in rugby players according to age category and playing position
T2 Aceleración relativa y velocidad máxima en jugadores de rugby según categoría de edad y posición de juego
A1 Zabaloy, Santiago
A1 Freitas, Tomas T.
A1 Alcaraz, Pedro E.
A1 Gálvez González, Javier
A1 Pereira, Lucas A.
A1 Comyns, Thomas
A1 Loturco, Irineu
A1 Healy, Robin
K1 Neuromuscular activity
K1 Team sports
K1 Acceleration
K1 Performance
AB This study aimed to: (a) assess the intrasession reliability of the acceleration time constant (i.e., τ) and τ-derived measures; (b) analyze the influence of τ and maximum velocity (Vmax) on 40-m sprint performance and to compare various sprint-related outcomes among rugby players from different playing positions and age categories; and (c) explore the associations between τ and several sprint performance metrics. A total of 300 male rugby players volunteered to participate in this study and were divided into age categories (i.e., under-14 [U14]: n = 91, age: 12.6 ± 0.5 years; under-16 [U16]: n = 85, age: 14.8 ± 0.5 years; under-18 [U18]: n = 75, age: 16.6 ± 0.5 years; and Seniors: n = 49, age: 24.2 ± 4.1 years). The results demonstrated good to excellent reliability for all measured parameters (intraclass correlation coefficient >0.75 and coefficient of variation <9.0%). Younger players (i.e., U14 and U16) displayed lower τ values (effect size: moderate to large; p < 0.02) compared with their older peers (i.e., U18 and Seniors), regardless of their playing position. Moreover, τ was associated with sprint performance metrics at varying levels of correlations (Rho: small to almost perfect; p < 0.001). In conclusion, younger players exhibited lower τ values than their older counterparts, irrespective of their playing positions. The model employed in this study demonstrated its accuracy in assessing several key sprint performance metrics, offering insights that can enhance sprint training programs for rugby players, which can be based on the associations observed among these different variables.
PB Wolters Kluwer
YR 2024
FD 2024-09
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10433/22546
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10433/22546
LA en
NO Zabaloy, S., Freitas, T. T., Alcaraz, P. E., Gálvez-González, J., Pereira, L. A., Comyns, T., Loturco, I. & Healy, R. (2024). Relative Acceleration and Maximum Velocity in Rugby Players According to Age Category and Playing Position. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 38(10), 1778-1785.
NO Rugby
NO Departamento de Deporte e Informáica. Universidad Pablo de Olavide.
DS RIO
RD May 4, 2026