Acceleration And Deceleration Profiles Across Drill Types And Gameplay By Position In Female Lacrosse Players

Transitioning between acceleration (ACC) and deceleration (DEC) is crucial for lacrosse players. However, the ACC and DEC profiles of female lacrosse players remain underexplored. Studying these profiles could offer valuable insights into optimizing training strategies and game tactics tailored to specific positions. PURPOSE: To investigate the positional differences in ACC and DEC zones across practice drill types and gameplay. METHODS: Twenty-two female collegiate lacrosse players wore GPS units, and data were collected over 17 games and 69 practices. Players included 8 attackers, 9 midfielders, and 5 defenders. Drills included individual skills (IS), scrimmage (SC), small-sided games (SSG), and stick work (ST). ACC and DEC zones were classified as : Zone 1: 1.0-1.4, Zone 2: 1.5-2.8, Zone 3: 2.9-4.2, Zone 4: 4.3-5.6, and Zone 5: 5.7-7.0 m·s-2. Variables were analyzed per minute played and included ACC and DEC repetitions in each zone. RESULTS: Repeated measures MANOVA demonstrated differences by drill type (p < 0.001), and an interaction between position and drill type (p < 0.01). The only position and drill interaction observed was for ACC Zone 5 (p < 0.03). Drills differed for each variable analyzed (p < 0.04) within zones 1 through 4. Athletes recorded the most ACCs in Zones 2-4 (0.64, 0.53 and 0.19 rep·min-1, respectively), with ST drills producing more ACCs than any other drill (range 0.04 to 0.90 rep·min-1; p < 0.05). IS drills exhibited the lowest ACCs in Zones 1 through 3 when compared to all other drills (0.04, 0.46 & 0.41 rep·min-1, respectively; p < 0.05). Athletes had a limited number DECs in Zones 4 and 5 (0.04 and 0.01 rep·min-1). Compared to other drills and games, ST drills displayed higher DECs in Zones 1 and 2 (0.23 and 0.60 rep·min-1), while SSG displayed the most DECs in Zone 4 (0.05 rep·min-1, p < 0.05). IS exhibited the least DECs in Zones 2 and 3 (0.330 and 0.1470 rep/min), while gameplay showed the lowest DECs in Zone 4 (0.03 rep·min-1, p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: ACC and DEC during lacrosse drills equaled or exceeded those observed in gameplay. ST drills involved the highest number of ACC efforts. ST and SSG drills accounted for the most DEC efforts. Coaches and sports scientists can use results to evaluate mechanical loads placed on athletes during practice and gameplay.