Anthropometric and Physiological Basis of Endurance Capacity in Young Indian Field Hockey Players

High endurance capacity, expressed by VO2max, is essential for optimal performance and is influenced by anthropometric and physiological parameters. 30 Indian young national level field-hockey players were studied to evaluate their endurance capacity and associated parameters. VO2max, relative physical work capacity at 170 bpm (rPWC), heart rate recovery (HRR3/6 at 3rd/6th minute), hemoglobin concentration (Hb), resting heart rate (rHR) and blood pressure (rBP), maximum heart rate (HRmax), basal metabolic rate (BMR), demographic and anthropometric parameters were measured and analyzed. After controlling the effect of gender by partial correlation, VO2max correlated significantly and positively with age, BMR, HRmax, HRRs, rPWC and Hb; and negatively with body weight, body fat%, BMI (body mass index), rHR and rBP. Body fat% had the maximum negative effect on endurance capacity. HRR3, rHR and rPWC together contributed a statistically significant 95.2% of the total variance in VO2max. Various linear regression equations were generated for assessing endurance capacity. Indian J Physiol Pharmacol 2017; 61(2) : 114–121 *Corresponding author : Dr. Hanjabam Barun Sharma, Department of Sports & Exercise Medicine, Sports Sciences & Fitness Centre, North-East Regional Centre (NERC), Sports Authority of India (SAI), Imphal, Manipur, India. Currently: Senior Demonstrator, Department of Physiology, AIIMS, New Delhi, Email: [email protected] (Received on January 12, 2017) aerobic or cardio-respiratory fitness of a player, which is best expressed by VO2max (maximal oxygen uptake) (1). Aerobic fitness has been reported not only to have positive correlation with power output or total sprint time during a repeated sprint exercise (2), but also to facilitate recovery afterwards (1). The total distance covered, work intensity, the number of sprints and involvements with the ball during a team sport, like soccer, have also been found to have significant positive correlation with VO2max (3). Hence, having high endurance capacity is essential for optimal performance. Introduction Endurance or aerobic capacity is a measure of Indian J Physiol Pharmacol 2017; 61(2) Endurance Capacity in Hockey Players 115 In this study, we measured VO2max, anthropometric and cardiovascular variables in young Indian national level field hockey players and statistically analyzed the data to find correlates and regression equations for endurance capacity estimation; with the aim to improve our understanding of the physiological demand of the sport, and to apply this knowledge not only for better performance, selection, training and monitoring of the players, but also for general health promotion.