(69) QUANTIFICATION OF GAME AND PRACTICE DEMANDS OF NCAA DIVISION II COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYERS USING GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEMS

Global positioning systems (GPS) allow athletic organizations to have an in-depth view of the physical demands of sport. Understanding these demands can lead to reduced acute and chronic injuries and improved performance. Furthermore, much is to be discovered about the demands of NCAA Division II football.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to quantify the physical demands among different position group classifications in college football throughout a full competitive season and the differences between the groups.

Methods: 32 male NCAA Division II football players wore 10hz GPS units throughout the 2022 fall football season. Thirteen different position groups were represented including quarterback (QB), running back (RB), slot receiver (SAM), wide receiver (WR), tight end (TE), center (C), offensive tackle (OT), safety (S), corner back (CB), outside linebacker (OLB), inside linebacker (ILB), defensive tackle (DT), and defensive end (DE). Athletes were divided into three categories: skill (QB, RB, SAM, WR, S, and CB), big skill (TE, OLB and ILB), and bigs (C, OT, DT, and DE). The season was divided into three types of events: fall camp, in-season practice, and games. From the data recorded, total distance (TD), walk distance (WD, ≤2.5mph), jog distance (JD, 2.5-10.7 mph), run distance (RD, 10.7-14.1 mph), sprint distance (SD, >14.1 mph), and top speed (TS) were used for the analysis.

Results: There was a significant difference (p ≤ 0.05) in TD between all groups in fall camp and in-season practice. There was no significant difference (p >.05) in TD among any groups in games. The RD was significantly (p < .001) greater in the skill group for fall camp and in-season practice but was significantly (p ≤ 0.05) greater in big skills during games. SD and TS were also significantly (p < .001) greater during fall camp and in-season practice for the skill position group, but there was no significant difference (p >.05) with the big skills in these metrics during games. The bigs position group was significantly (p < .001) lower than both groups in RD, SD, and TS for all event types. See Table 1. for descriptive statistics. 

Conclusion: The lack of difference in TD for games indicates that all athletes cover similar distance just in different ways throughout a game. The skill group covers greater distances at higher speeds than any other group during fall camp and in-season practice, but similar SD and TS to big skills in games, and less RD. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The data suggests that skill, big skill, and bigs experience different demands throughout a competitive football season, implying that each player type may need a specific training approach for high-speed running. Skill players may benefit from a progressive increase in high-speed running to prepare them for their intense fall camp and in-season practice demands. Big skill may need more top speed exposure during practices to prepare them for game demands and improve performance.

Acknowledgements: None