Variability in the Load of Professional Basketball Referees during Competition

Abstract

Monitoring the demands on basketball referees is essential for optimizing their performance and reducing the risk of injuries. This study aimed to analyze the workload experienced by elite basketball referees during official games. Using a quasi-experimental empirical methodology, inertial devices (WIMUPRO) were used for four referees participating in the official tournament of the Spanish first-division basketball league. All the matches in the tournament were analyzed. Descriptive analysis and ANOVA were used to understand the referees’ demands. Moreover, a Mixed Linear Model was used to take into account the individuality of each referee in the analysis of the variables. The results indicate that the analyzed external and internal load variables are specific to each basketball referee. The variability in referees’ external and internal load demands was identified as low to moderate within performances, between matches, and between quarters. The external and internal load variables did not vary among the three analyzed games. The distance covered during the first quarter of the games was less than in the rest of the quarters, but it was performed at a higher intensity. Neuromuscular load (analyzed as Impacts, Player Load, and Power Metabolic) showed higher values in the first quarter of the games than in the rest. The referees’ response to competition is individual and can be influenced by situational variables such as the moment or type of game.

Profile of Accelerations and Decelerations in Young Basketball Players

“…As the game progressed, fewer high-intensity meters were covered and the final speed was lower [26]. This fact has been evidenced in different studies, both with male players [13,46,47], female players [25,48,49], U18 players [26], and basketball referees [45].…”

“…The number of accelerations and decelerations by specific playing positions maintains the same trend as with all players overall, with many low-intensity accelerations (between 87.6 and 89.3), few moderate-intensity accelerations (between 0.4 and 0.8), and few high-intensity accelerations (between 8.6 and 12.6). The thresholds for acceleration and deceleration decreased over the four quarters of the game, indicating that the intensity of these actions decreased as the game progressed [13,45]. Centers are the players who perform the most low-intensity actions, while Guards have the highest high-intensity demands.…”

“…Reina, García-Rubio, Pino-Ortega and Ibáñez [15] identified that in women's basketball, this accelerometry profile is maintained, with a predominance of a greater number of lowintensity ACC and DEC, increasing as the game progresses. The dynamics of the game during the final quarter, in which the total duration increases due to an increase in stoppages (increase in the number of fouls and timeouts) [25], causes a decrease in maximum speed and explosive distance covered [45]. This game dynamic must be considered by coaches to prepare their players for a more explosive start to the game, knowing that as the game progresses, they will have more recovery time during play, although the demands of high-intensity ACC and DEC are maintained.…”