title: Quantification of Competitive Game Demands of NCAA Division I College Football Players Using Global Positioning Systems.
abstract: The aim of the present study was to examine the competitive physiological movement demands of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college football players using portable global positioning system (GPS) technology during games and to examine positional groups within offensive and defensive teams, to determine if a player's physiological requirements during games are influenced by playing position. Thirty-three NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision football players were monitored using GPS receivers with integrated accelerometers (GPSports) during 12 regular season games throughout the 2014 season. Individual data sets (n = 295) from players were divided into offensive and defensive teams and subsequent position groups. Movement profile characteristics, including total, low-intensity, moderate-intensity, high-intensity, and sprint running distances (m), sprint counts, and acceleration and deceleration efforts, were assessed during games. A one-way ANOVA and post-hoc Bonferroni statistical analysis were used to determine differences in movement profiles between each position group within offensive and defensive teams. For both offensive and defensive teams, significant (p ≤ 0.05) differences exist between positional groups for game physical performance requirements. The results of the present study identified that wide receivers and defensive backs completed significantly (p ≤ 0.05) greater total distance, high-intensity running, sprint distance, and high-intensity acceleration and deceleration efforts than their respective offensive and defensive positional groups. Data from the present study provide novel quantification of position-specific physical demands of college football games and support the use of position-specific training in the preparation of NCAA Division I college football players for competition.
authors.affiliation: 1Faculty of Health Sciences and Medicine, Bond University, Queensland, Australia; and 2School of Kinesiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
authors.forename: Aaron D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Wellman
authors.forename: Sam C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Coad
authors.forename: Grant C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Goulet
authors.forename: Christopher P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: McLellan
mesh_terms: D000054:Acceleration; D061725:Accelerometry; D000293:Adolescent; D005538:Football / Q000145:classification / Q000502:physiology*; D040362:Geographic Information Systems; D006801:Humans; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D005082:Physical Exertion / Q000502:physiology*; D012420:Running / Q000502:physiology*; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult