New research out of the University of New England (UNE) is helping to bolster the growth of women’s rugby league in Australia, with the first study to identify velocity zones specific to the game’s female players now complete.
Lead researcher, Dr Cloe Cummins, says the findings provide a realistic insight into the running and sprinting speed of female players during a match, helping to better prepare athletes for kick off.
“Four velocity zones were classified within this research that can be used to understand the various intensities of movement that occur throughout match-play ranging from low speed locomotion (e.g. walking) to very-high speed locomotion (e.g. sprinting),” says Dr Cummins, a sports scientist in the UNE School of Science and Technology.
“Velocity or speed zones allow us to understand how much distance is covered at or above a certain speed, helping us to understand the impact that might be had on performance and potentially also injury risk.”
If you watched the recent women’s State of Origin match on Friday 24 June, you would have already seen the velocity zones from this research in action. Dr Cummins assisted on the night with the interpretation of the tracking data that was shown on television and also on social media platforms.
Image: NRL Telstra Tracker showing the velocity zones in action during the June 24 State of Origin match . Image credit: National Rugby League
“You may have seen the graphics reporting on the number of metres ran or the number of times a player ran (effort count) above 17.5 kilometres per hour – this was based on the high-speed threshold from this research,” she says.
“These metrics help to provide insight into the amount of high intensity work a player is doing during the match.”
Until this research, velocity zones had not been tailored specifically to female rugby league players, and had instead been modelled off velocity zones used in other female team sports, such as women’s rugby sevens, or translated from those used with male rugby league players.
“When it comes to training and preparing players, these zones or speeds may not truly reflect the locomotor demands of women’s rugby league,” says Dr Cummins.
“This could have implications when it comes to the training, management and performance of female rugby league players.”
The findings of the study will also help formulate training regimes that are tailored to the specific demands of women’s rugby league, which will hopefully lead to improved outcomes on the field and reduce the likelihood of injuries from under or over training.
“Through understanding the true locomotor demands of female rugby league match-play, coaches and performance staff can look to develop training programs that adequately prepare players for the demands that they will experience within a match.”
