Validation of an Instrument to Control and Monitor the Training Load in Basketball: The BATLOC Tool

D. Berdejo-del-Fresno^{1, 2,} and J.M. González-Ravé³

¹The Football Association, London, England

²Sheffield FC Futsal, England

³Sport Training La, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Spain

Cite this paper

D. Berdejo-del-Fresno and J.M. González-Ravé. Validation of an Instrument to Control and Monitor the Training Load in Basketball: The BATLOC Tool. American Journal of Sports Science and Medicine. 2014; 2(4):171-176. doi: 10.12691/AJSSM-2-4-10

Abstract

The main objective of a coach is to optimize athletic performance. The best performance improvements come from prescribing an optimal dose of physical training with proper recovery periods to allow for the greatest adaptation before competition. The main objective was to validate an inexpensive, easy, non-invasive, real time tool to control and monitor the training load in basketball: the BATLOC tool. Fourteen elite female basketball players from a top-4 team that competes in the England Basketball League Division I volunteered to participate in this study (20.50 ± 2.31 years old, 174.21 ± 4.17 cm, 75.21 ± 15.38 kg, BMI of 24.67 ± 4.23, 177.29 ± 7.60 cm of arm span, 19.01 ± 2.34 % of body fat, and 45.18 ± 4.17 ml/kg/min of VO2max. Two mesocycles were analized: pre-season (6 weeks) and in-season (10 weeks). Training load was controlled and monitored daily with the BATLOC tool. Heart rate was monitored for every player every 5 s in each training session. The RPE was measured using the 6-20 Borg scale. The Pearson’s product moment correlation between the means of intensity, RPE, heart rate, maximum heart rate and equivalent training load showed an excellent concordance (>0.75). To conclude, based on the results in this study and the literature reviewed, the BATLOC tool seems to be a good method to control global internal training load in basketball. This method does not require any expensive equipment and may be very useful and convenient for coaches to monitor the internal training load of basketball players.

Keywords

RPE, heart rate, periodisation, team sports

Copyright

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

References

[1]	Coutts, A.J. & Aoki, M.S. “Monitoring training in team sports”. Olympic Laboratory: Technical Scientific Bulletin of the Brazilian Olympic Committe 2009; 9(2), 1-3.
[2]	Gamble, P. “Periodization of training for team sports athletes”. Strength and Conditioning Journal 2006; 28(5), 56-66.
[3]	Viru, A. & Viru, M. “Nature of training effects”. In: Exercise and Sport Science, W. Garret and D. Kirkendall (Eds.). Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Williams, 2000, 67-95.
[4]	Foster, C., Hector, L.L., Welsh, R., Schrager, M., Green, M.A., & Snyder, A.C. “Effects of specific versus cross-training on running performance”. European Journal of Applied Physiology and Occupational Physiology 1995; 70(4), 367-372.
[5]	Impellizzeri, F.M., Rampinini, E., Coutts, A.J., Sassi, A. & Macora, S.M. “Use of RPE-based training load in soccer”. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 2004; 36(6), 1042-1047.
[6]	Banister, E.W., Good, P., Holman, G. & Hamilton, C.L. “Modelling the training response in athletes”. In: Sport and Elite Performers. Laders MD ed. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics, 1986; 7-23.
[7]	Costill, D.L., Thomas, R., Robergs, R.A., Pascoe, D., Lambert, C., Barr, S., et al. “Adaptations to swimming training: influence of training volume”. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 1991; 23(3), 371-377.
[8]	Zatsiorsky, V. “Intensity of strength training facts and theory: Russian and Eastern European approach”. National Strength and Conditioning Association Journal 1992; 14(5): 46-57.
[9]	Foster, C. “Monitoring training in athletes with reference to overtraining syndrome”. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 1998; 30(7), 1164-1168.
[10]	Foster, C., Florhaug, J.A., Franklin, J., Gottschall, L., Hrovatin, L.A., Parker, S., et al. “A new approach to monitoring exercise training”. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 2001; 15(1), 109-115.
[11]	Gilman, M.B. “The use of heart rate to monitor the intensity of endurance training”. Sports Medicine 1996; 21, 73-79.
[12]	Achten, J. & Jeukendrup, A.E. “Heart rate monitoring: applications and limitations”. Sports Medicine 2003; 33, 517-538.
[13]	Morton, R.H., Fitz-Clarke, J.R. & Banister, E.W. “Modeling human performance in running”. Journal of Applied Physiology 1990; 69(3), 1171-1177.
[14]	Edwards, S. “High performance training and racing”. In: The heart rate monitor book, S. Edwards (Ed.). Sacramento, CA: Feet Fleet Press, 1993; 113-123.
[15]	Coutts, A.J., Reaburn, P.R.J., Murphy, A.J., Pine, M.J. & Impellizzeri, F.M. “Validity of the session-RPE method for determining training load in team sport athlete”. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport 2003; 6, 525.
[16]	Manzi. V., D’Ottavio, S., Impellizzeri, F.M., Chaouachi, A., Chamri, K. & Castagna, C. “Profile of weekly training load in elite male professional basketball players”. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 2010; 24(5), 1399-1406.
[17]	Moreira. A, de Freitas, C.G., Nakamura, F.Y., Aoki, M.S. “Session RPE and stress tolerante in young volleyball and basketball players”. Brazilian Journal of Kinantropometry and Human Performance 2010; 12(5), 345-352.
[18]	Berdejo-del-Fresno, D. & González-Ravé, J.M. “Development of a new method to monitor and control the training load in basketball: the BATLOC Tool”. Journal of Sport and Health Research 2012; 4(1), 93-102.
[19]	Anderson, L., Triplett-McBride, T., Foster, C., Doberstein, S. & Brice, G. “Impact of training patterns on incidence of illness and injury during a women’s collegiate basketball season”. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 2003; 17(4), 734-738.
[20]	Stagno, K.M., Thatcher, R. & Van Someren, K.A. “A modified TRIMP to quantify the in-season training load of team sport players”. Journal of Sports Science 2007; 25(6), 629-634.
[21]	Coutts, A.J., Rampinini, E., Marcora, S.M., Castagna, C. & Impellizzeri, F.M. “Heart rate and blood lactate correlates of perceived exertion during small-sided soccer games”. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport 2009; 12, 79-84.
[22]	Lohmann, T.G., Roche, A.F. & Martorell, R. Anthropometric standardization reference manual. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. 1988.
[23]	Borg, G. “Perceived exertion as an indicator of somatic stress”. Scandinavian Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine 1970; 2, No. 2-3, 92-98.
[24]	Fleiss, J.L. The design and analysis of clinical experiments. New York, NY: Wiley. 1986.
[25]	Lucía, A., Hoyos, J., Carvajal, A. & Chicharro, J.L. “Heart rate response to professional road cycling: The Tour de France”. International Journal of Sports Medicine 1999; 20, 167-172.
[26]	Morgan, W.P. “Psychological factors influencing perceived exertion”. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 1994; 26, 1071-1077.
[27]	Refoyo, I. La decisión táctica de juego y su relación con la respuesta biológica de los jugadores: una aplicación al baloncesto como deporte de equipo. PhD Thesis. Universidad Complutense de Madrid. 2001.
[28]	Berdejo-del-Fresno, D., Sánchez-Pérez, S. & Jiménez-Díaz, J.F. “Body composition and training load in basketball: a direct connection in the high level”. EFDeportes. Revista Digital. 2008; Year 13, N 119.