Peak movement and impact characteristics of different training methods in professional rugby union.

The purpose of this study was to compare the peak periods (1- to 6-minute epochs) for three different training methods (game-based training - GBT; small-sided games - SSG; and conditioning training - CT) in elite male rugby union (RU) players. The peak movement (m·min) and impact (impact·min) characteristics of 42 players during in-season training were assessed. When comparing between training methods, SSG drills produced the greatest peak movement characteristics for all time epochs (1-minute average peak periods - SSG 195 m·min, GBT 160 m·min, and CT 144 m·min). The peak impact characteristics performed during training were 1-2 impact·min for a 1-minute period and then decreased as the time period increased for all training methods. The greatest distribution of training time occurred at 30-39% (SSG and CT) and 40-49% (GBT) of peak movement intensity, with less than 5% of training performed at or above 80% peak intensity across all drill types. Findings from the current study show that the peak movement periods (m·min) in RU training from all three training methods match or exceed those which are previously reported in peak gameplay, yet their ability to replicate peak impact characteristics is questionable.