The physiological response of athletes with impairments in wheelchair basketball game

Purpose
The aim of this study was to analyze the physiological response of WB athletes related to type of impairment and functional classification in game situations

Material and methods
Fifteen male players from Polish National Wheelchair Basketball Team were observed during friendly and championships games (2017 and 2018). Heart rate (peak and average – HRpeak and HRav), number of sprints were monitored for each player per a full game by Polar Team Pro. Five HR zones were calculated for each athlete based on VO2peak, anaerobic threshold, HRmax, body weight and age (aerobic laboratory test). Heart rate reserve (HRR) and percentage heart rate reserved (%HRR) were calculated. Results were compared between athletes related to the type of impairment (spinal cord injuries and other physical impairments) and functional classification (Group A – from 1.0 to 2.5 points; Group B – from 3.0 to 4.5 points).

Results
The results showed the specificity of WB games, i.e. all players were found in all five HR zones with different contribution. Players from Group A played less than players form the Group B in fifth HR zone (respectively, 15% and 21%) and had significantly lower HRpeak and HRav, HRR, %HRR and did more sprints.

Conclusions
The current study confirmed differential specificity of a WB game. It was observed that there are significant differences in the physiological response between WB athletes representing different functional levels. This knowledge is important to plan preseason conditioning exercises for each individual WB athlete. Further studies are needed to better understand the physiological response of WB athletes.