Physical and physiological profiles of Boland netball players

Abstract

Objective. The primary aim of this study was to determine the physical and physiological profiles of 48 netball players (aged 18 - 24 years) playing in the super and first league in the Boland region. The secondary aim of the study was to compare the profiles of the Boland netball players with those of Australian under-21 players.

Design. The netball players were assessed for flexibility, speed, agility, power and aerobic endurance. Anthropometrical measurements were also taken. Descriptive statistics were calculated, after which Student s unpaired t-tests were used to compare results between the Boland and Australian under-21 netball players.

Results. The Boland players were statistically significantly faster over the first 5 m of a 20 m sprint; however, no significant differences were found at 10 m and 20 m between the 2 groups. The Australian players showed superior agility in both left and right feet, as well as vertical jump ability compared with the Boland players. The Boland players also had significantly lower aerobic endurance capacity compared with the Australian players. There were statistically significant differences in standing height and skinfold thickness between the two groups.

Conclusions. Our results indicate that Boland netball players, who can be considered representative of toplevel players in South Africa, are not on the same physical fitness level as their Australian counterparts. The study also highlights the importance of similar and more comprehensive studies to obtain normative data for all levels of netball players.