Basketball Training Load: The validation of the BATLOC Tool

I am glad to announce that one more paper from my PhD Thesis was recently published in the American Journal of Sports Science and Medicine.

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.

• Berdejo-del-Fresno, D. & González-Ravé, J.M. 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.

BOOK RELEASED: FEMALE BRITISH BASKETBALL

I am glad to announce that on the 28^th December 2013 the book based on my PhD Thesis was officially released. The book entitled “Female British Basketball: research studies into body composition, fitness level and training load” (ISBN: 978-84-939866-2-9) has been published by Asociación Didáctica Andalucía (Spain). 

This book is free and we hope you consider sharing it with the world. Please do so under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licence 3.0. You can download the book here.

Finally, I would like to give a big thanks to Asociación Didáctica Andalucia, my publisher, and B&B Studio, who designed the cover, without whom there would be no book.

PhD Thesis Abstract

There is a huge amount of articles analysing the anthropometry of basketball players, the parameters of basketball, its physiological demands, and the fitness level of the teams. However, the vast majority of these studies focus on male basketball players. There are only a few studies working on British high-level female basketball teams. Therefore, the main objectives of this thesis will be to study the body composition and fitness level of English and British female basketball players, and to desing a tool for controlling and monitoring the training load in basketball (BATLOC Tool). This thesis will be a compilation of 6 articles published in international journals. The general results obtained from the six studies show that (a) there is no differences when it comes to use of the Bleep test or the Yo-Yo test in order to calculate the maximum oxygen uptake through an indirect method. (b) The sample analysed of British female basketball players (from grassroots to high level) had fitness level and body composition values lower than high-level female basketball teams from countries where basketball is more popular and better developed probably due to the big difference in the number of traininig hours per week performed. (c) 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 and plan a proper periodisation, since the fitness level of players involved in this study improved through the season.

Keywords: BMI, arm span, agility, speed, endurance, periodisation, team sports, RPE, heart rate.

BLEEP OR YO-YO TEST IN BRITISH FEMALE BASKETBALL PLAYERS

The International SportMed Journal, the journal of the International Federation of Sports Medicine, has just published another of the papers from my PhD Thesis. 

- The comparative use of the Bleep or Yo-Yo test in high-level British female basketball players. Berdejo-del-Fresno, D. & González-Ravé, J.M. International SportMed Journal. Vol 14, N 3, September 2013, 119-126.

Abstract 

Objectives: The aims of this study were to perform the 20-meter shuttle run test (Bleep test) and the Yo-Yo test in two high level British female basketball teams, and to evaluate and compare both tests between themselves. Methods: 14 elite level female basketball players from a top-4 team competing in the England Basketball League Division I and 15 female basketball players from the Under 20 Great Britain National Team (U20 GB) playing in the European Championship voluntarily participated in this study. The anthropometry tests performed were weight, height and BMI. Each team performed the Bleep test and the Yo-Yo Test on two separate and non-consecutive days (with a lapse of 48 hours between the two tests), at the same time (10 am) and in the same gym hall with wooden floor. Results: Statistical differences were found between the VO₂max values of the two teams obtained in the 20-meter shuttle run (p=0.000), and between the VO₂max calculated by Yo-Yo IR1 and the VO₂max calculated by 20-meter shuttle run without taking into account the age (p=0.002). Conclusions: British basketball players showed cardiorespiratory levels (VO₂max) lower than high-level female basketball players from countries where basketball is more popular and better developed. In addition, it was proved that there are no differences when it comes to the use of the Bleep test or the Yo-Yo test in order to calculate the maximum oxygen uptake through an indirect method.

Key words: VO₂max; maximum oxygen uptake; aerobic endurance; TIVRE-Basket.

FITNESS & ANTHROPOMETRY OF FEMALE ENGLAND BASKETBALL DIVISION I PLAYERS

The article “Fitness level and body composition of elite female players in England Basketball League Division I” has been published today in the International Journal of Sport and Exercise Science. This paper is one of articles that makes up my PhD Thesis recently defended: “Body composition, fitness level and training load controlled through the BATLOC tool in female British basketball”. Its whole reference is as follows:

• “Fitness level and body composition of elite female players in England Basketball League Division I”. Berdejo-del-Fresno, D., Lara-Sánchez, A. J., and González-Ravé, J. M. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Science, 4(2):15-24. ISSN: 2074-9775.

 Background: Basketball is one of the most practised sports in the world. There is a huge amount of articles analyzing the anthropometry of basketball players, the parameters of basketball, its physiological demands, and the fitness level of the teams. However, the vast majority of these studies focus on male basketball players. There are only a few studies working on British high-level female basketball teams. Research question: To evaluate and compare the body composition and fitness characteristics of elite British female basketball players in relation to other studies. Type of study: Descriptive study. Methods: 14 elite level female basketball players from a top-4 team that compete in the England Basketball League Division I voluntarily participated in this study. The anthropometry measurements performed were: weight, height, arm span, body mass index, and skin folds. The fitness tests were: flexibility (sit and reach), agility 1 (4x10-meter shuttle run), lower body power 1 (standing broad jump), Bleep test, sprint (5 and 10-meter), agility 2 (left and right), lower body power 2 (hop, triple hop, cross-over hop), and Yo-Yo Test. Results: Statistical differences were found between the right and left leg of players in the triple hop (p=0.04) and cross-over hop (p=0.01). Furthermore, regarding VO₂max, statistical differences were found between the VO₂max that had been calculated by Yo-Yo IR1 and the VO₂max that had been calculated by the Bleep test, without taking into account the players’ age (p=0.002). Conclusions: The sample analyzed of elite British female basketball players had fitness level and body composition values lower than high-level female basketball teams from countries where basketball is more popular and better developed.

Keywords: BMI, arm span, body fat, flexibility, agility, speed, endurance.

FEMALE BRITISH BASKETBALL PhD THESIS

The last 31^st of January 2013 I did my PhD viva in Toledo (Spain). The Thesis entitled “Body composition, fitness level and training load controlled through the BATLOC tool in female British basketball” was awarded the International Mention and the qualification of “Summa Cum Laude” (maximum qualification). The Thesis, supervised by Dr. José María González-Ravé, has been developed between the University of Castilla-La Mancha (Spain) and the Manchester Metropolitan University (United Kingdom). The PhD Thesis is supported by the following publications:

• Article 1: Berdejo-del-Fresno, D. and González-Ravé, J.M. The comparative use of the Bleep or Yo-Yo test in high-level British female basketball players. International SportMed Journal. Vol 14, N 3, September 2013, 119-126.

• Article 2: Berdejo-del-Fresno, D., Lara-Sánchez, A.J. and González-Ravé, J.M. Fitness level and body composition of elite female players in England Basketball League Division I. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Science. 2012, 4(2):15-24.

• Article 3: Berdejo-del-Fresno, D. and González-Ravé, J.M. Anthropometric and fitness development of British elite female basketball players: from grassroots to high level. Journal of Sports Therapy. 2011; 4(1):10-18.

• Article 4: Berdejo-del-Fresno, D. and 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; Vol IV Nº I:93-102.

• Article 5: Berdejo-del-Fresno, D. and González-Ravé, J.M. Validation of an instrument to control and monitor the training load in basketball: the BATLOC tool. Isokinetic and Exercise Science. Under review.

• Article 6: Berdejo-del-Fresno, D. and González-Ravé, J.M. Fitness seasonal changes relative to training load in English female basketball players. Basketball Research. Under review.

From left to right: Dr. Javier Pérez-Tejero (panel’s Secretary, INEF-Polytechnic University of Madrid, Spain), Dr. Daniel Juárez Santos-García (panel's Member, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Spain), myself, Dr. Joao Paulo Vilas-Boas (Panel's President, Porto University, Portugal), my supervisor Dr. José María González-Ravé and the Dean of the Faculty Dr. Jose Manuel García-García.

The Thesis has studied the fitness component of the English and British female basketball players from grassroots (U17) to high level (Great Britain National Team) through the compilation of the previous six articles. Probably, this Thesis is the first one that studies the female basketball in England and the United Kingdom. 

The Thesis will be published very soon in a book, therefore if you would be interested in having a copy, you can contact me by email, and I will give you more details.

BASKETBALL TRAINING LOAD CONTROL: THE BATLOC TOOL

In my third post I promised to share with you the new findings and the new version of the BATLOC tool. As I said before, the BATLOC tool was developed by me and Sergio Sánchez-Pérez “Pinzas” in the 2005/2006 season of a professional Spanish basketball team (Alta Gestión Fuenlabrada S.A.D.). The tool has been used in different teams in Spain (Baloncesto Fuenlabrada S.A.D., C.B. Granada and Fundación 6.25) and in the UK (Manchester Mystics Women’s Basketball Club, Leeds Carnegie Women’s Basketball Club, the North West Under 17 Women’s Basketball Squad, the Great Britain Under 20 Women’s Basketball Team and the BBL team Mersey Tigers) by me, “Pinzas” and Spanish S&C coach José Fernández. Most importantly, during the last years the tool has been modified, adapted and improved, and its final version and usefulness can be seen in my latest article.

This paper is the second one of my PhD articles. Only four to go now! It has been published in the Journal of Sport and Health Research, with ISSN 1989-6239, and its reference is:

-    Berdejo-del-Fresno, D. and 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.

Here is the abstract for your information:

An adequate training load is essential to achieve the best performance and avoid any injuries. Nevertheless, to control and monitor the training load in real time in team sports is quite difficult, since there is no easy, cheap or non-invasive method or tool. The simple software described in this article, created in Microsoft Excel, can be used to predict the training load and plan a proper periodization of the future training load during the pre-season and the in-season training phase in basketball.

TRANSLATION INTO ITALIAN OF BASKETBALL PAPER

I have just heard that one of my first scientific papers on baskeball has been translated into Italian by the Associazione Preparatori Fisici Italiani Pallacanestro (the Italian Basketball Strength and Conditioning Association). How good is that! You can now see the Italian version “Composizione corporea e carico di allenamento nel basket” (November 2011) on the APFIP website. I decided to write this post because I think it is a great thing that the paper is now accessible to speakers of one more language.

The article was based in a tool developed by me and Sergio Sánchez-Pérez “Pinzas”, who had the initial idea. The original article was entitled “Body composition and training load in basketball: a direct connection in the high level” and was written by me, S&C coach “Pinzas” and sports doctor José Fernando Jiménez-Díaz. It was originally written in Spanish, only the title and the abstract being written in English (a big sorry, fellas!). Basically, we developed a tool to control the training load in a professional Spanish basketball team (Alta Gestión Fuenlabrada S.A.D.) during the season 2005-2006. Each drill was assigned a training load value and, at the end of the session, the aggregated training load of all drills represented the session training load. The training load recorded was correlated with the anthropometric measurements performed during the season. The paper was published in 2008 in the journal EFDeportes. Revista Digital, with ISSN 1514-3465. This is the article’s whole reference:

-         Berdejo-del-Fresno, D., Sánchez-Pérez, S. and Jiménez-Díaz, J.F. Body composition and training load in basketball: a direct connection in the high level. EFDeportes. Revista Digital. Year 13, N 119.

Below is the abstract in English for those of you who are interested:

Size, structure and body proportions, as well as body composition, are important factors related to sport performance in basketball. The aims of this research on high level basketball players were, firstly, to describe the development of their body composition along the season, and secondly, to link these changes with the training load. Cineanthropometry and training load were monthly measured in 9 basketball players from an ACB League team (age: 28.67 ± 4.06, weight: 97.67 ± 9.64 kg and height: 198.67 ± 7.94 cm). The annual means of fat percentage and lean percentage were 11.7 ± 2.76% and 47.96 ± 3.22%, respectively. A direct (low) correlation of these variables with the training load was noticed. Measuring the body composition of basketball players can be a useful and simple tool as a method of training load control and assessment.

Since then, the tool has been used by “Pinzas” with Baloncesto Fuenlabrada S.A.D. and C.B. Granada, two Spanish professional teams competing in the ACB League (the highest Spanish division). I myself have also used the tool with Baloncesto Fuenlabrada S.A.D. and Fundación 6,25 in Spain, as well as with Manchester Mystics Women’s Basketball Club, Leeds Carnegie Women’s Basketball Club, the North West Under 17 Women’s Basketball Squad and the Great Britain Under 20 Women’s Basketball Team. Finally, Spanish S&C coach José Fernández also made use of our tool with Mersey Tigers, a British Basketball League team, during the season 2010-2011.

What is more important, six years after the creation of the tool and thanks to all my previous experiences in teams with a wide range of age, both genders and different levels, I have modified, improved and validated the tool. I promise to share with you the new findings and the tool’s new version very soon. So if you are interested in controlling and monitoring the training load in baskeball, keep an eye in this blog!

FITNESS AND BODY COMPOSITION IN FEMALE BRITISH BASKETBALL

Hi all,

I hope you are well.

As some of you already know, in the past I have worked as an S&C Coach in the UK for Manchester Mystics, Leeds Carnegie, the North West U17 Female Squad and the Great Britain U20 Female Team.

I have also been trying to find a way to finish my PhD here in the UK since I left Spain back in September 2008 but, to be honest, it has been impossible. I tried to collaborate with several UK Universities to no avail, so finally decided to make use of my previous experience in basketball and write a Thesis by compilation of published papers on English and British Female Basketball, which is made of 5 papers (probably 6 in the end). The Thesis will be defended at the University of Castilla-La Mancha (Spain). Since it is entirely written in English, it will be eligible for the European PhD qualification.



U20 GB Team for the European Championships in Macedonia 2009.

 This new post is just to let you know that my first PhD paper has already been published in the Journal of Sports Therapy, with ISSN 2044-0707. Its whole reference is as follows:

-         Berdejo-del-Fresno, D. and González-Ravé, J.M. Anthropometric and fitness development of British elite female basketball players: from grassroots to high level. Journal of Sports Therapy. 2011; 4(1):10-18.

Since I thought it may be of interest to some of you, here you can see the abstract:

Basketball is one of the most practised sports in the world. There is a large amount of articles analysing and studying the basketball player’s anthropometry, the basketball parameters, the physiological demands, and the fitness level of the team. However, the vast majority of these studies have focused on male basketball, as opposed to female. There are only a few studies working on British high level female basketball teams. To compare and evaluate the body composition and fitness characteristics of British female basketball players from grassroots to high level against the studies which are available in the literature. Seventy eight female basketball players from some top-4 teams that compete in the England Basketball League and 1 Great Britain National Team voluntarily participated in this study. The anthropometry tests were: weight, height, arm span, and BMI; and the fitness tests were: Flexibility (sit and reach), Agility (4x10-meter shuttle run), Lower Body Power (Standing Broad Jump), and 20-meter shuttle run Tests. Statistical differences were found between groups in the Agility and Standing Broad Jump Tests. Cardiorespiratory fitness showed a slight tendency to improve as the team’s level increased, although statistical differences were not observed. British female basketball players had fitness level and body composition values lower than high-level female basketball teams from countries where basketball is more popular and better developed. The S&C coach role within the technical staff is necessary and highly recommended to achieve high level competition.

Please feel free to share it with anyone who could be interested too.

Let's develop basketball in this country!!