title: The athletic performance of elite rugby league players is improved after an 8-week small-sided game training intervention.
abstract: The purpose of this investigation was to determine the effects of a small-sided game training intervention on the intermittent shuttle running performance, speed, and repeated sprint ability of elite rugby league players during the competitive phase of a rugby league season. Ten elite rugby league players from a Stobart Super League team academy underwent 2 small-sided game sessions per week over an 8-week period. Each session consisted of four 10-minute blocks of 1 small-sided game, interspersed with a 3-minute recovery. Changes in physical performance were assessed before and after the training intervention with an intermittent shuttle running test (30-15 Intermittent Fitness Test), speed tests (10-, 20-, and 40-m linear sprints) and a repeated sprint ability test (8 × 20-m linear sprint, departing every 20 seconds). Results showed that the 30-15 Intermittent Fitness Test (+1.29%), 10-m (-3.17%), 20-m (-1.37%), and 40-m (-0.96%) sprint times and mean sprint time (-2.11%), total sprint time (-2.11%), and percentage of sprint decrement (7.10 vs. 5.93%) during the repeated sprint ability test were significantly improved after the training intervention. Based on these results, it was concluded that an 8-week small-sided game training intervention was an effective method for improving the physical performance of elite rugby league players during the competitive phase of the season.
authors.affiliation: 1French Rugby League Academy, Toulouse, France; 2Center for Exercise and Sport Science Research, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, Western Australia; and 3Laboratory of Human Performance, Department of Sport, University Pablo de Olavide, Seville, Spain.
authors.forename: Laurent B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Seitz
authors.forename: Maxence
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rivière
authors.forename: Eduardo S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: de Villarreal
authors.forename: G Gregory
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Haff
mesh_terms: D000054:Acceleration; D000886:Anthropometry; D056352:Athletes / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D054874:Athletic Performance; D005538:Football / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010806:Physical Education and Training / Q000379:methods*; D010809:Physical Fitness / Q000502:physiology; D012420:Running / Q000502:physiology; D013997:Time Factors; D018910:Video Games; D055815:Young Adult