Physical demands in elite female team handball : Analyses of high intensity events in match and training data via inertial measurement units

Developments in tracking technology have made it possible to get more accurate insights into the physical demands of team sports, including indoor sports where global navigation satellite systems cannot be used. The main aim of this thesis was to investigate the physical demands of female team handball players using inertial measurement units (IMUs), and to validate a commercially available local positioning system (LPS) for indoor use. In total, 75 handball players took part in the four studies (Studies I-IV), including participants at international, national and lower levels. To examine the reliability of IMUs for measuring physical activity in team handball, a between-devices setup was used (Study I). In study II, an observational design was used to investigate the physical demands in female team handball players in international matches. Study III aimed to investigate the physical demands of game-based training (3vs3 and 6vs6), and compare them to official matches. This was done by observation of prescribed training drills, and official matches. In study IV, the validity of an LPS was investigated. The LPS was compared to an infrared light-based camera system, in indoor conditions. Studies I-III all included the use of IMU (OptimEye S5, Catapult Sports, Melbourne, Australia), containing an accelerometer, gyroscope and magnetometer, all collecting data at 100 Hz. In all studies, the participants wore the IMU in a manufacturer-supplied vest. In studies II and III players were categorized into four different playing positions: backs, wings, pivots, and goalkeepers (GKs). The raw data from the IMUs were converted into the variables PlayerLoad™ and high intensity events (HIEs) using the manufacturer’s software. All HIEs >2.5 m∙s-1 were included in the studies. In study I, the magnitude of HIE was investigated, in addition to variations of the metric PlayerLoad™. In study IV, the LPS (Catapult ClearSky T6, Catapult Sports, Melbourne, Australia) was investigated. Two-dimensional position data were used to calculate distance and instantaneous speed