Movement analysis and conditioning considerations for inter-county Gaelic football.
Word Count: 1700
Introduction:
There is currently little research regarding the in-game movements and conditioning needs of elite senior inter-county Gaelic footballers. The purpose of this article is firstly, to analyse the current evidence base concerning match play running performance in inter-county Gaelic football and use similar team sports as additional evidence. Secondly, discuss relevant data and offer practical, position specific guidelines to help inform the strength and conditioning (S&C) coach. Finally, this article will conclude with recommendations for the direction of future research.
Gaelic football is the premier sport within the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) and the most popular sport in Ireland. The All-Ireland championship is the primary competition, with senior inter-county games often exceeding stadium attendances of 80,000 people 1,2. Senior inter-county is the most elite level of Gaelic football, whereby players represent their home county in the hope of achieving an All-Ireland title. Gaelic pitches are 80-90m wide and 130-145m in length. Teams consist of 15 players, one goalkeeper, six defenders, two midfielders and six forwards. Previous literature has categorised outfield positions under these three variants (defender, midfielder, forward) 3,4. However, more recent research has proposed the need to classify outfielders into five positions, due to the differing physical and game based demands of each position 5,6. These five positional categories are full-back, half-back, midfield, half-forward, full-forward respectively (figure 1). At the senior inter-county level, games are 70 minutes long, composed of two 35 minute halves.
Movements within Gaelic football are multidirectional and intermittent in nature, encompassing periods of high-intensity sprints, rapid accelerations and changes of direction with lower intensity periods of stoppages in play, walking and jogging 1,2,5,6. Gaelic footballers are required to run, jump, catch, kick pass, hand pass and solo while moving at high speeds and typically receiving physical contact from opposing players 2,7.
Figure 1. Player positions in Gaelic football.
Match play running performance in inter-county Gaelic football:
Table 1 details the key running performance metrics within elite inter-county Gaelic football. On average, male elite inter-county Gaelic footballers cover 8160 - 9222m per game. Midfielders cover the greatest total running distances (9278 – 10621m), followed by half-forwards (8812 – 10121m) and half-backs (8460 – 9621m) who tend to cover more distance than full-forwards (7090 – 7870m) and full-backs (6892 – 77878m) 5,6,8. When game length is accounted for, these distances are similar to those seen in soccer 9 and Australian football 10 and highlight players need for a well-conditioned aerobic system 8,11. High speed running distance (HSRD) measures the distance covered while moving at speeds greater than 17km.h during one 70 min game and on average, ranges from 1596 – 1731m in elite male Gaelic footballers 6. Similarly to total distance, HSRD is greater in midfielders (1989 – 2228m), half-forwards (1851 – 1917m) and half-backs (1722 – 1831m) in comparison to full-forwards (1293 – 1366m) and full-backs (1331 – 1369m). Suggesting the need for greater levels of conditioning for midfield, half-forward and half-back positions. Comparably, in premier league soccer 12 and elite Australian football 10,13,14 total running distance and HSRD is also greatest in the midfield counterparts, again demonstrating the need for position specific conditioning within these team sports. However, running distances can vary between games due to a multitude of reasons, such as technical formation, tactical gameplay, the level of opponents and motivation
Table 1. Running performance data of inter-county Gaelic footballers.
Note HSRD = High speed running distance, FB = Full-back, HB = Half-back, Mid = Midfielder, HF = Half-forward, FF = Full-forward.
Malone, Solan, Collins, et al., (2016a) analysed portable GPS data over two competitive seasons (2013 - 2015) and found that total distance covered significantly decreased during second (ES = 0.35), third (ES = 0.45) and fourth (ES = 0.39) quarters relative to the first quarter (p = 0.001) across all playing positions. Likewise, HSRD significantly declined during second (ES = 0.45), third (ES = 0.78) and fourth (ES = 1.23) quarters relative to the first quarter (p = 0.005) across all playing positions 6. Additionally, total running distance and HSRD decrements were greater in midfielders than any other playing position, with half-backs and half-forwards experiencing greater decrements than their full-back and full-forward counterparts. Again, suggesting the need for position specific conditioning within these positions. Likewise, decrements in these two key running performance variables are also greatest in Premier League soccer 12 and Australian football midfielders 13. This firstly highlights the level of fatigue players are exposed to, but also, that players seem to experience significantly higher levels of fatigue towards the end of the game. Highlighting the need to maximise the aerobic system for performance and increased recovery between quarters and halves.
These results correlate with the current Gaelic football injury analysis data, whereby players are fatiguing in the latter periods of match play and therefore becoming more susceptible to injury later in a game 3,4,15,16. Once again demonstrating the need for appropriate levels of conditioning and the potential injury protective effect this may provide. Although, the S&C coach must also monitor load and be careful not to increase load too quickly or drastically as this has been shown to increase injury risk in team sports & GAA 11,17.
Training considerations:
The data presented in table 1 provides S&C coaches with normative match play running data for senior inter-county Gaelic footballers. This data offers the potential to create position specific conditioning programmes relevant to the match play demands of senior inter-county Gaelic football.
As fatigue increases, the number of sprints deteriorates across all playing positions during gameplay and highlights the need for repeated sprint ability during elite Gaelic football 5. Players rarely reach maximum speed due to the nature of field-based team sports, so acceleration may present as the key performance indicator but developing maximum velocity should still be a consideration for the S&C coach 13,18. Although the decisive game moments are decided during periods of high-intensity anaerobic sprint activities, a well-conditioned aerobic system should underpin these movements, as all energy systems work simultaneously and synergistically to contribute to performance 11,19,20. The aerobic system will aid in the buffering of by-products and hydrogen ions and help resynthesize phosphocreatine stores necessary for high-intensity anaerobic actions 21. Therefore, the S&C coach should strive to maximise the aerobic capacity of all players, especially half-back, midfield and half-forward positions, as these players must run further distances and thus, have a greater need for increased aerobic capacity 8,11. Although full-back and full-forward positions run less total and high speed distances than other positions they still require suitably conditioned aerobic systems 8,11. As these positions are involved in the pivotal anaerobic game moments and thus, may need superior accelerative and reactive abilities to capitalise offensively or defensively in these crucial instances 22.
There is currently little published research pertaining to S&C practices within Gaelic football and the influence this may have on running performance 22. Although, greater aerobic fitness has been emphasised as an influential factor in resisting fatigue in repeated sprint ability within team sports 19. Similar findings have been shown in Gaelic football, Malone, Roe, Doran, Gabbett, and Collins, (2016a) found players with higher training loads (as measured by session RPE multiplied by session length in minutes) were better able to cope with an increased number of maximal velocity running events and were at a lower risk of injury. The authors caution that injury risk during maximal velocity running is represented by a “U” shaped curve, with too few or too many exposures putting players at an increased risk of injury. Hence, it is vital the S&C coach monitors training loads 22, because newer players may not be able to cope with the increased match play and training demands of inter-county Gaelic football 11. The S&C coach should systematically increase training loads over a period of time, with the pre-season presenting as an ideal opportunity to do so 22.
Interestingly, Verrall et al., (2005) decreased the incidence of injury in an Australian rules football team from 4.7 to 1.3 per 1000 hours of playing time over a two-year intervention period. The intervention consisted of increasing the amount of anaerobic interval training, this may appear counterintuitive as numerous studies cite sprinting as a primary mechanism of injury in Gaelic football 3,4,15,16. These findings may suggest the need to systematically expose players to more intensive and max velocity training so that athletes are better prepared to cope with the demands of match play 17.
Training recommendations:
Before implementing a new conditioning programme, S&C coaches should implement a testing battery and use these test scores to determine the primary areas of focus for the team and individual players. Although it may not always be possible to test all players due to injury, travel, illness and additional life involvements the S&C coach should strive to do so. There are numerous running based tests the S&C coach can implement which correlate to performance, from 5m to 40m sprint tests to 5km endurance tests 23,24, but it’s outside the scope of this article to analyse all the different testing modalities and will instead focus on the most specific performance related tests. The Yo-Yo intermittent recovery level 2 test (Yo-Yo IR2) assess a player’s ability to complete and recover from repeated intense exercise utilising a large energy contribution from both the aerobic and anaerobic energy systems 25. Yo-Yo IR2 test scores have been shown to increase in relation to age and level of competition in Australian football 13 and soccer 26, suggesting it is a specific fitness measure for intermittent team sports 25. As little research exists regarding the fitness levels of inter-county Gaelic footballers, the S&C coach can benchmark against Australian football and soccer to assess the levels of conditioning within the team and individual playing positions (table 2).
Table 2. Yo-Yo IR2 test scores in elite soccer and Australian football players.
Conclusions:
The findings presented here can help inform the S&C coach as to the running demands of inter-county Gaelic football, allowing the coach to set individual and position specific fitness targets. Then use these targets to plan and programme accordingly to ensure all players are adequately conditioned to meet the specific running demands of the sport and their individual playing position. Thus, the S&C coach should consider implementing individual training age, load and position specific conditioning programmes.
Future Research:
Wisbey and Montgomery, (2005) analysed GPS data from the 2005 AFL season and presented the average work-recovery ratios for forwards (1:2.6), defenders (1:2.3) and nomadic (1:2) players 29. A similar analysis of work-recovery ratios in Gaelic football would be particularly useful for the S&C coach when planning position specific conditioning sessions. Additionally, these same authors have more recently highlighted the increases in running distances and intensities between the 2005 and 2008 AFL seasons 14, demonstrating the need for consistent quantification of the key running performance variables within team sports.
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