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Characteristics of Physical Fitness for Field-based Team Sports Players in Terms of Energy Supply during Intermittent Sprint Exercise Test [Received February 21, 2011 ; Accepted October 26, 2011] The activity profi les of fi eld-based team sports players (e.g. soccer, handball, and basketball) fluctuate randomly depending on game situation, from brief periods of maximal or near maximal intensity to longer periods of low-intensity activity. On the other hand, the activity patterns of track athletes are nearly constant. The purpose of this study was to compare the characteristics of physical fi tness for fi eld-based team sports players, endurance runners and sprinters from the viewpoint of energy supply during intermittent sprint exercise. Twenty-four university-trained males (fi eld-based team sports players: F; n = 8, endurance runners: E; n = 8 and sprinters: S; n = 8) completed an intermittent sprint exercise test. The test consisted of three 5 × 30m (every 40s) repeated-sprints, with sprints separated by a 4-min rest period. Sprint times were recorded during intermittent sprint exercise test from 0-15m, 15-30m, and 0-30m by electronic photo cells. Oxygen uptake (V4O2), minute ventilation (V4 E), heart rate (HR), and blood lactate concentration (La) were also measured during the test. An incremental treadmill test and a 40s anaerobic power test were also performed to determine maximal aerobic and anaerobic capacities. The F group had a significantly faster 0-15m sprint time than E (P < 0.05), but not when compared with the S group; while, the F group had a signifi cantly slower 15-30m sprint time than the S group (P < 0.05). The F group also had a signifi cantly lower La during intermittent sprint exercise test than the S group (P < 0.05), but not when compared with the E group. In contrast, V4O2 during intermittent sprint exercise test in the interval phase showed no signifi cant differences among the groups. Although no signifi cant differences were observed, lower La indicated a suffi cient phosphocreatine resynthesis in the interval phase in the F and E groups. These findings showed that the F group performed the repeated-sprint as fast as the S group from 0-15m with lower anaerobic energy supply. Furthermore, the results suggested the need for regular implementation of repeated-sprints in the F group. In conclusion, field-based team sports players have superior repeated-sprint ability than sprinters, especially over short distances such as 15m. Keywords: field-based team sports, repeated-sprint, oxygen uptake, blood lactate concentration |