Physiological stress of basketball referees during a national competition

Abstract

– The aim of this study was to examine the physiological demands of seven referees during a national basketball competition. We recorded heart rate (HR), relative exercise intensity as a percentage of age – predicted maximum HR (HRmax), proportion of playing time within the exercise intensity categories defined by the ACSM during each of the tournament matches for each referee per period, as well as the entire game. None of the variables shows significant differences between periods. Based on a format of three referees per match, referees worked with an average HR of 150 bpm (range 110-181 bpm) for each quarter of the match, which equals a relative intensity> 70% of HRmax for most (∼76%) of each quarter. Other studies will assist in developing appropriate training programs for elite basketball referees to maintain and / or maximize performance.