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ABSTRACT. Lemmink, K.A.P.M., and S.H. Visscher. Role of energy systems in two intermittent field tests in women field hockey players. J. Strength Cond. Res. 20(3):682-688. 2006.-The energetics of 2 field tests that reflect physical performance in intermittent sports (i.e., the Interval Shuttle Sprint Test [ISST] and the Interval Shuttle Run Test [ISRT]) were examined in 21 women field hockey players. The ISST required the players to perform 10 shuttle sprints starting every 20 seconds. During the ISRT, players alternately ran 20-m shuttles for 30 seconds and walked for 15 seconds with increasing speed. Anaerobic and aerobic power tests included Wingate cycle sprints and a VO^sub 2^max cycle test, respectively. Based on correlation and regression analyses, it was concluded that for the ISST, anaerobic energetic pathways contribute mainly to energy supply for peak sprint time, while aerobic energetic pathways also contribute to energy supply for total sprint time. Energy during the ISRT is supplied mainly by the aerobic energy system. Depending on the aspect of physical performance a coach wants to determine, the ISST or ISRT can be used.
KEY WORDS. Interval Shuttle Sprint Test, Interval Shuttle Run Test, maximal oxygen uptake, Wingate test, intermittent sport physiology
INTRODUCTION
Intermittent sports, such as field hockey, require a high degree of physical fitness (23). Time-motion analysis indicates that in women's field hockey, about 20% of the game is spent in high-intensity activity, such as running and sprinting (18). These high-intensity activities of short duration (5 seconds, on average) are alternated with low-intensity activities such as walking and jogging (18 seconds, on average). The skill requirements and postural stress (semicrouched posture) are superimposed on the work rate demanded by the game and its pattern of play (23). It is therefore appropriate to view a field hockey game as aerobically demanding, with frequent, though brief, anaerobic efforts superimposed (21). High-intensity efforts rely predominantly on the immediate (adenosine triphosphate phosphocreatine) and short-term (anaerobic glycolysis) anaerobic energy systems. The aerobic energy system is important during prolonged intermittent exercise. Evidently, the energetics of field hockey require an interaction of all 3 energy systems, with each system playing a significant yet specific role in energy supply during the game (7, 21, 31).
A number of intermittent field tests have been developed to evaluate...