Training Load Monitoring Considerations for Female Gaelic Team Sports: From Theory to Practice

Abstract

Athlete monitoring enables sports science practitioners to collect information to determine how athletes respond to training loads (TL) and the demands of competition. To date, recommendations for females are often adapted from their male counterparts. There is currently limited information available on TL monitoring in female Gaelic team sports in Ireland. The collection and analysis of female athlete monitoring data can provide valuable information to support the development of female team sports. Athletic monitoring can also support practitioners to help minimize risk of excessive TL and optimize potential athletic performance. The aims of this narrative review are to provide: (i) an overview of TL athlete monitoring in female team sports, (ii) a discussion of the potential metrics and tools used to monitor external TL and internal TL, (iii) the advantages and disadvantages of TL modalities for use in Gaelic team sports, and (iv) practical considerations on how to monitor TL to aid in the determination of meaningful change with female Gaelic team sports athletes.

An Experimental Feasibility Study Evaluating the Adequacy of a Sportswear-Type Wearable for Recording Exercise Intensity

“…With the ability to monitor the intensity of physical activity in real time, the field of sports medicine has recognized that wearables are technically superior to conventional monitoring techniques, such as subjective questionnaires [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]. Wearables thus allow exercise management and training programs to be quantitatively analyzed [ 5 , 6 , 7 ]. Hence, most wearables today use a combination of physical and physiological indices.…”

The running performance of elite ladies Gaelic football with respect to position and halves of play

“…The game is composed of repeated high intensity actions superimposed across periods of lower intensity activities such as walking, jogging, or standing [2,3]. Playing teams consist of fifteen players made up of a goalkeeper, three full backs, three half backs, two midfielders, three half forwards and three full forwards, with an option of management to utilize up to 5 substitutions per competitive game [4]. Ladies Gaelic football (LGF) match-play consists of two halves of 30 min in duration.…”

“…Although LGF has an amateur status, the structure of the sport is comprised of elite (inter-county) and sub-elite (club) levels of play. Elite LGF players can complete up to five pitch-based conditioning or resistance training sessions per week in addition to pre-and post-game match analysis meetings ahead of any competitive match, ultimately these players must balance their competitive commitments within their personal and working lives [4].…”

“…However, it is difficult to elucidate the demands of females to males due to factors such as gender, physiological profile, and rule variations [7,9]. Due to this lack of research most ladies Gaelic football coaches tend to base their training process around methodologies or the running performance profiles of similar female sports such as camogie [10], AFL [11], and soccer [4,12]. Ultimately, it is questionable whether these practices condition players appropriately to meet the skill, playing rules, number of players and duration that are all unique to LGF, given the lack of specific understanding related to the sporting or positional demands of LGF.…”

“…These investigations would provide accurate, reliable, and relatable data that could eliminate guess work and coaching intuition or personal experiences when designing training as is common within Gaelic sports. Furthermore, the collection of data will support the development of female team sports with increased understanding around the physical requirements of match-play [4]. Creating a running performance profile for LGF could allow for data informed conditioning practices to ensure that players are exposed to adequate running demands within training, to allow them to meet the demands of match-play consistently across a competitive calendar [10,20].…”