A Comparison of Elite and Sub-elite Match-Play Running Performance of Gaelic Football Players.

Donnelly, S, Collins, K, Burns, C, O'Neill, C, and Mangan, S. A comparison of elite and sub-elite match-play running performance of Gaelic football players. J Strength Cond Res 38(5): 912-923, 2024-This research aimed to examine differences in match-play running performance between elite and sub-elite Gaelic football players.

An Analysis of Repeated High Intensity Efforts (RHIE) across Different Competition Levels in Elite Rugby Union.

The current investigation aimed to understand the differing positional demands across two elite rugby union competitions, with special reference to high-intensity effort (HIE) and repeated high-intensity effort (RHIE) activity. Four hundred and forty-one ( = 441) individual game files from thirty-five competitive games from the European Rugby Champions Cup (tier 1; = 8) and PRO12 League (tier 2; = 24) were analysed. Players' locomotor profiles were recorded using wearable global positioning system microtechnology (10 Hz Catapult S5, Catapult Innovations, Australia).

Factors influencing performance and injury risk in elite female Gaelic team sport players and future research directions: a narrative review.

Background: Sports science research in elite female Gaelic team sports has increased in recent years, but still a large disparity exists between the volume of studies involving male and female players. As a consequence of this, it is difficult for practitioners to develop an evidence-based approach when working with female players.

Main Body: In this review, we discuss the current research available in elite female Gaelic team sports with focus on seven specific areas including physical and physiological demands, anthropometric and performance characteristics, injury risk, nutritional considerations, and female physiology.

The Influence of Weekly Sprint Volume and Maximal Velocity Exposures on Eccentric Hamstring Strength in Professional Football Players.

Background: Hamstring strains are the most common moderate-major severity injuries in football. The majority of hamstring injuries occur during sprinting, with low eccentric hamstring strength being associated with an elevated risk. Objective: To examine the relationship between sprinting and eccentric hamstring strength by monitoring total weekly sprint distance and weekly efforts > 90% and >95% of maximum velocity.

Science and Hurling: A Review.

Hurling is one of the world's fastest field sports. Since the last review of science and Gaelic sports in 2008, there has been an increase in sports science provisions across elite and sub-elite cohorts, resulting in increased hurling-specific literature equating to an additional 111 research investigations into the game across all sports science disciplines. The present review aims to provide an updated analysis of the current research on the game and propose recommendations for future research.

The epidemiology of back injuries in elite Gaelic football athletes: An 8-year prospective study.

Objectives: To describe the epidemiology of back injury in elite male Gaelic football athletes between 2008 and 2016.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Setting: Injury data from the National GAA Injury Surveillance Database.

The Between-Competition Running Demands of Elite Hurling Match-Play.

The current study aimed to investigate the differences in running demands between the National Hurling League (NHL) and the Championship, and within playing positions. GPS (10 Hz, STATSports Apex GNSS) were used to analyse the running demands during 34 games (2017-2020 seasons) of the Championship and the NHL. The running demands (total-, relative-, high-speed- [>17 km·h] and sprint [≥22 km·h] distance, number and length of sprints, and peak speed) were compared between competitions.

Epidemiology and moderators of injury in Gaelic football: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objectives: To quantify the incidence, location and severity of injuries in Gaelic football and to identify potential moderators of those injuries.

Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Methods: A comprehensive search strategy of six electronic databases was undertaken independently by two researchers in March 2020.

The Effects of Pre-Game Carbohydrate Intake on Running Performance and Substrate Utilisation during Simulated Gaelic Football Match Play.

Background: Previous research has reported that elite Gaelic football players' carbohydrate (CHO) intakes are sub-optimal, especially, in the lead up to competitive matches. Despite clear decrements in running performance across elite Gaelic football matches, there are no studies that have investigated nutrition interventions on match-related Gaelic football performance. The aim of this study was to determine whether a higher-CHO diet in line with sports nutrition guidelines can improve Gaelic football-related performance compared to lower CHO intakes previously observed in Gaelic footballers.

Exploring Sports Nutrition Knowledge in Elite Gaelic Footballers.

Nutrition intake plays a crucial role in improving athletic performance, enhancing adaptations to training, and augmenting recovery from exercise. However, research has reported that Gaelic footballers consistently fail to meet energy and carbohydrate recommendations. Sports nutrition knowledge (SNK) can influence the dietary intake of athletes, and therefore has the potential to have a significant impact on athletic performance.

Understanding the association between external training load measures and injury risk in Elite Gaelic football.

Background: The current investigation examined the association between external training load variables and injury risk within elite Gaelic football.

Methods: Workload and injury variables were collected from thirty-seven elite Gaelic footballers (mean±SD age of 24.2±2.

The Performance Effect of Scheduled Carbohydrate and Caffeine Intake during Simulated Team Sport Match-Play.

The aim of the current investigation was to identify the effects of scheduled carbohydrate (CHO) and caffeine (CAF) supplementation on simulated team sport match-play performance. Ten male hurling players completed three hurling match-play simulation protocols (HSP) performed 7 days apart in a double-blind, randomized design. Supplementation included CHO, CHO + CAF, and placebo (PLA).

Peak Running Intensity of Elite Female Field Hockey Players During Competitive Match Play.

McGuinness, A, Passmore, D, Malone, S, and Collins, K. Peak running intensity of elite female field hockey players during competitive match play. J Strength Cond Res 36(4): 1064-1070, 2022-In recent years, backroom coaching staff have relied heavily on the global demands of competitive match-play to monitor running performance within training and match environments.

Factors that Influence Session-Rating of Perceived Exertion in Elite Gaelic Football.

Malone, S, Hughes, B, Roe, M, Mangan, S, and Collins, K. Factors that influence session-rating of perceived exertion in elite Gaelic football. J Strength Cond Res 34(4): 1176-1183, 2020-The current investigation examined the relationships between external training load (TL) measures and the session rating of perceived exertion (s-RPE) within Gaelic football players.

Cross-Sectional Investigation of Self-Reported Concussions and Reporting Behaviors in 866 Adolescent Rugby Union Players: Implications for Educational Strategies.

Objective: To examine the self-recalled concussion and bell ringer (BR) prevalence, reporting rates, and reporting behaviors in adolescent rugby players.

Design: Cross-sectional survey.

Setting: School classroom.

Metabolic power in hurling with respect to position and halves of match-play.

The current investigation compared the metabolic power and energetic characteristics in team sports with respect to positional lines and halves of match-play. Global positioning system (GPS) technology data were collected from 22 elite competitive hurling matches over a 3-season period. A total of 250 complete match-files were recorded with players split into positional groups of full-back; half-back; midfield; half-forward; full-forward.

Association between eccentric knee flexor strength and hamstring injury risk in 185 elite Gaelic football players.

Hamstring strains are the most common time-loss injury in elite Gaelic football affecting over 20% of players per season. Thus, there is a need to identify factors contributing to the onset of hamstring injuries in order to inform injury risk management strategies. The current study investigated whether eccentric knee flexor strength and between-limb imbalances were associated with increased risk of sustaining a time-loss hamstring injury in elite Gaelic football players.

Seasonal Changes in Gaelic Football Match-Play Running Performance.

Mangan, S, Ryan, M, Shovlin, A, McGahan, J, Malone, S, O'Neill, C, Burns, C, and Collins, K. Seasonal changes in Gaelic football match-play running performance. J Strength Cond Res 33(6): 1686-1692, 2019-Time of season influences performance in many team sports; however, the anomaly has not yet been examined with regards to elite Gaelic football.

The match-play sprint performance of elite senior hurlers during competitive games.

The typical sprint profile in elite hurling has yet to be established. The purpose of this study was to investigate the sprinting demands of elite hurling competition and characterize the sprinting patterns of different playing positions. GPS (10-Hz, STATSports Viper) were used to collect data from 51 hurlers during 18 games.

The Effect of Caffeine Ingestion and Carbohydrate Mouth Rinse on High-Intensity Running Performance.

The aim of the current study was to investigate whether carbohydrate mouth rinsing works synergistically with caffeine to augment high-intensity running in a fed state. Eight participants completed a total of three trials; (1) placebo (PLA) trial (placebo capsule + placebo mouth rinse), (2) caffeine (CAF) trial (400 mg caffeine + placebo mouth rinse) and (3) carbohydrate mouth rinse + caffeine (CMR + CAF) trial (400 mg caffeine + 6% carbohydrate mouth rinse). Each trial consisted of a 45 min steady-state run at 65% VO, followed by 90% VO high-intensity intervals (HIIT) at 1 min and subsequently by a 1 min recovery walking at 6 km·h, until exhaustion.

Dietary Intake and Energy Expenditure Assessed during a Pre-Season Period in Elite Gaelic Football Players.

There is currently a lack of research into the energy demands and associated nutritional intakes of elite Gaelic football players during the pre-season period, which is a crucial time of year for physical development. The aim of the current study was to investigate the dietary intake and energy expenditure (EE) of elite Gaelic football players during a typical pre-season week. Over a seven-day period, which included four training days and three rest days, dietary intake (validated self-reported estimated food diary) and EE (Sensewear Pro armband) were recorded in 18 male players from a single elite inter-county Gaelic football team.

Monitoring Wellness, Training Load, and Running Performance During a Major International Female Field Hockey Tournament.

McGuinness, McMahon, G, A, Malone, S, Kenna, D, Passmore, D, and Collins, K. Monitoring wellness, training load, and running performance during a major international female field hockey tournament. J Strength Cond Res 34(8): 2312-2320, 2020-The current observational study quantified players' activity profiles during a major international female field hockey tournament and determined whether an association exists between well-being measures and running performance within elite female hockey players.

Is It Time to Give Athletes a Voice in the Dissemination Strategies of Concussion-Related Information? Exploratory Examination of 2444 Adolescent Athletes.

Objective: The objective of the research was to screen male and female adolescent athletes on their concussion educational histories and preferred future methods of education in terms of educational messenger, modality, and concussion-related areas of interest.

Design: Cross-sectional survey.

Setting: Examination setting within the classroom.

Can the workload-injury relationship be moderated by improved strength, speed and repeated-sprint qualities?

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate potential moderators (i.e. lower body strength, repeated-sprint ability [RSA] and maximal velocity) of injury risk within a team-sport cohort.

Methods of Monitoring Training Load and Their Association With Changes Across Fitness Measures in Hurling Players.

Malone, S, Hughes, B, Collins, K, and Akubat, I. Methods of monitoring training load and their association with changes across fitness measures in hurling players. J Strength Cond Res 34(1): 225-234, 2020-The aim of the current investigation was to assess the dose-response relationship for various methods of monitoring training load (TL) and changes in aerobic and anaerobic fitness in hurling players.