Defining player's profile in wheelchair rugby: Impact of classification and on-court role on physical activity level during competition

Introduction/Background During official competition, Wheelchair Rugby (WR) uses a classification system, defined with 7 levels (from 0.5 to 3.5 points) according to the level of disability. But 2 main roles can be observed on the court: defensive role (generally for player from 0.5 to 1.5 pts) and offensive role (players from 2 to 3.5 pts). Very few studies aimed at defining the on-court player role during competition, using various methods (Morgulec-Adamowicz et al., 2011; Rhodes et al., 2015). This kind of information could be of great interest in order to optimize training programs and players’ physical preparation. The aim of the study was to evaluate energy expenditure (EE) and intensity level of WR players during competition, according to the classification and the on-court role. Material and method Fifty-two WR players, from 8 French elite teams and from France national team, were evaluated using a tri-axial accelerometer (SenseWear Armband) during national competition games. This device was previously validated for manual wheelchair users (Abel et al., 2008). Data from game times (4 periods of 8 min) were collected and analyzed, with EE, physical activity (PA) intensity and duration as main outcomes. Results Data from 24 defensive and 28 offensive players highlight that the mean intensity level was about 4 ± 1 METs, corresponding to a moderate intensity. Statistical analysis shows significant correlation between the player's classification level and vigorous PA duration (P = 0.04; r = 0.285), higher classification level being associated with higher vigorous PA duration. Lastly, offensive players show higher vigorous PA duration, in comparison with defensive players (P Conclusion This work provides supplementary data for the definition of the different WR player profiles. In the current context of an important development of this sport, this could be useful for the individualization of the training programs of WR players, according to player's classification or on-court role.