Time Motion Analysis and Physiological Profile of Canadian World Cup Wheelchair Basketball Players

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the time elite wheelchair basketball players spent performing various game activities during a World Cup game, measure the heart rate response during such activity, and describe the physiological profile of each player participating in the game. Six male members of the Canadian World Cup wheelchair basketball team were videotaped during an entire game to determine the time spent performing seven different categories of activity. Time motion analysis indicated that players spent 8.9% of the game time sprinting, 23.5% gliding, 18.2% contesting for ball possession, 0.6% sprinting with the ball, 0.3% shooting, and 48.3% resting on the bench and floor. Twenty percent (20%) of game time was played at an intensity above the ventilatory threshold. The group mean value for peak oxygen uptake during incremental wheelchair exercise on rollers was 2.60L/min and group mean peak 5 and 30 second anaerobic power development on an arm crank ergometer was 486.3 W and 336.8 W, respectively, suggest that training for and playing elite wheelchair basketball induces significant improvement in these tests of fitness.