Differences In GPS Metrics Between Practice, Regular Season, And Playoffs In University Football Players

American football players require elevated and sustained musculoskeletal performance to support repeated accelerations, top running speed and large distances covered during competition. Coaches often design practice sessions to mimic the demands of competition to physically prepare athletes. However, there remains a paucity of inquiry into the differences in work completed during practice and games during the regular season and playoffs in university football players. Purpose: To examine differences in peak running speed, peak acceleration, and total distance traveled between practice, regular season competition, and playoffs in Canadian university football players. Methods: A total of 28 university male football players with an age of (mean ± SD) 20.9 ± 1.5 y volunteered to be participants over an 8-week period. Playing positions ranged from defensive backs, wide receivers, running backs, linebackers, fullbacks, and tight ends. Each participant wore a GPS monitor during practice and competition. GPS indices examined were top running speed (mph), peak acceleration (m·s2), and total distance covered (km). Differences in performance indices between practice, regular season games, and play-off games were analyzed using a one-way ANOVA, with a Bonferroni correction procedure for post-hoc comparisons. This study was approved by the research ethics review board at the University of Windsor. Results: Significant differences in top running speed (mph) were observed between practice and both regular season competition (prac 17.1 ± 0.90 ‘vs’ reg 18.5 ± 0.99, p < 0.001) and playoffs (prac 17.1 ± 0.90 ‘vs’ ploff 18.2 ± 1.13, p < 0.001). Significant differences in total distance travelled (km) between practice and both regular season competition (prac 4.77 ± 0.71 ‘vs’ reg 5.59 ± 1.41, p < 0.001) and playoffs (prac 4.77 ± 0.71 ‘vs’ ploff 5.91 ± 1.73, p < 0.001) were observed. Significant differences in peak acceleration (m·s2) between practice and both regular season competition (prac 5.04 ± 0.18 ‘vs’ reg 5.08 ± .37, p < 0.001) and playoffs (prac 5.04 ± 0.18 ‘vs’ ploff 5.07 ± 0.57, p < 0.001) were observed. Conclusion: Both regular season games and playoffs elicit significant increases in peak acceleration, peak running speed, and total distance travelled when compared to practice.