(58) THE PHYSICAL DEMANDS OF PROFESSIONAL-LEVEL ULTIMATE FRISBEE

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the physical demands of professional ultimate frisbee. Professional ultimate frisbee is defined as players who play in the Ultimate Frisbee Association (UFA). Physical demands that will be measured will include sprint distance, number of accelerations, decelerations, and top speed. Methods: Three players participated in this study. Players were asked to wear STASport GPS trackers during each of their games to measure physical demands. Following each game the data was sent to the research team. At the conclusion of the regular season, the data was summarized and analyzed. Results: Data from three players was collected and analyzed. Players averaged 46.3 ± 19.1 accelerations and 46.8 ± 13 decelerations per game. On average, a total distance of 6940.7 ± 1982.1 meters was covered per game, of which 591.5 ± 255.9 meters was high-speed running (HSR) ( >5.5 m/s) and 1260.7 ± 437.3 meters were high-intensity distance (HSR, acceleration, and deceleration distance combined). The average max speed was 8.6 ± 0.5 m/s and on average 15.9 ± 9.8 sprints (number of times over 6.6 m/s) were completed per game. Conclusions: The study indicated that the physical demands of male professional-level Ultimate Frisbee players are greater than previously reported data on collegiate and club-level players. This data may serve as a benchmark for future studies on professional-level players. Practical Applications: Understanding the physical demands of the sport can better aid coaches and trainers in creating training programs that prepare athletes during the off-season and pre-season for the physical demands needed in-season. This information can also help sports medicine staff create better return to sport protocols. Acknowledgements: None