Physical Demands and Physiological Responses During Elite Field Hockey

The aim of this study was to determine the physical demands of elite men's field hockey using modern time-motion analysis techniques. 18 elite male players (age: 24.4 +/- 4.5 yrs) participated in 5 matches, during which physical outputs of players were quantified using GPS units and heart rate monitors. The mean total distance covered by each individual player was 6 798 +/- 2 009 m. Mean total distance covered per position for 70 min (position(70)) was 8 160 +/- 428 m. Distance covered per position(70) decreased by 4.8% between the 1(st) and 2(nd) halves (P<0.05). Fullbacks covered significantly less total distance than all other positions (P<0.05). High-intensity running (>19 km. h(-1)) comprised 6.1% (479 +/- 108 m) of the total distance covered and involved 34 +/- 12 sprints per player, with an average duration of 3.3 s. Average HR was higher in the 1(st) half (86.7% HRmax) than the 2(nd) half, (84.4% HRmax), though this was not significant (P=0.06). The results suggest that modern day elite field hockey is a physically demanding team sport. Quantification of the demands and outputs of players at this level provides a useful framework on which to develop conditioning practices. The difference in physical outputs observed for some positions suggests position-specific conditioning is required at the elite level.