The distances covered by basketball referees in a match increase throughout the competition phases, with no change in physiological demand

Jo&atilde;o Paulo Borin,1 Jos&eacute; Francisco Daniel,2,3 Val&eacute;ria Bonganha,3 Anderson Marques de Moraes,2,4 Cl&aacute;udia Regina Cavaglieri,1 Luciano Allegretti Mercadante,5 Marcos Tadeu Nolasco da Silva,6 Paulo Cesar Montagner11School of Physical Education, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, Brazil; 2Pontifical Catholic University of Campinas, Campinas, Brazil; 3Postgraduate Program in Physical Education, 4Postgraduate Program in Children&#39;s Health, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, Brazil; 5School of Applied Sciences, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Limeira, Brazil; 6School of Medical Science, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, BrazilBackground: It is crucial to know the demands on basketball referees, in different match periods (MPs) and phases of competition, for planning referee training and subsequent successful refereeing.Objective: To measure and evaluate the distance covered by referees in a match by measuring the number of interruptions, percentage of heart rate (%HR), and blood lactate concentration ([lac]) in different phases of competition and in different MPs.Method: We studied the qualifying (QP), semifinal (SP), and final (FP) phases of a total of 12 matches (four matches in each phase) of the 2009&ndash;2010 Brazilian Basketball League. Distance covered, number of match interruptions, and referees&#39; %HR and [lac] were analyzed. We compared the results between competition phases and between MPs (1st MP, 2nd MP, 3rd MP, and 4th MP).Results: Regarding the distances covered, we observed significant differences (P < 0.05) in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd MPs between the FP and the other two phases (SP and QP) throughout the match, between each phase; in the 4th MP, a significant difference was found when comparing the QP and the other two phases. Comparing the periods within each phase, we found that a greater distance was covered in the 4th MP in relation to the 3rd MP during the FP. No significant differences were found among the remaining variables.Conclusion: The distances covered by referees in a basketball match increase throughout competition phases. This information is essential for planning of training and for the subsequent success of a referee.Keywords: referees, basketball, distance covered, percentage of maximum heart rat