Dario Vrdoljak¹, Antonela Karmen Ivišić¹, Ognjen Uljevic¹

¹Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Split, Split, Croatia

Design and Validation of a New Water Polo Test of Anaerobic Endurance: Preliminary Study of Junior Male Players

Monten. J. Sports Sci. Med. 2024, 13(1), 51-58 | DOI: 10.26773/mjssm.240306

Abstract

Water polo is a team sport in which anaerobic capacity plays a significant role, but there is a lack of ecologically valid tests of water polo-specific anaerobic capacity. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to design and validate a method for evaluating the anaerobic capacity of water polo players. The sample of participants included 10 male junior water polo players (16.70 ± 1.06 years, 186.11 ± 6.06 cm, 81.18 ± 6.88 kg). Measurements included power output in the Wingate anaerobic test (WAnT) and the newly designed eggbeater kick anaerobic test (EKAT). WAnT included peak power (PP), average power (AP), minimal power (MP), and power drop (PD), and EKAT included the same four parameters as well as anaerobic capacity (AC). The results of this study show a significant correlation between test and retest values of power output (Pearson’s correlation: 0.63, 0.87, 0.85, and 0.90 for PP, AP, MP, and AC, respectively). T-test calculation showed no significant differences between test and retest values for EKAT. Correlation analysis between EKAT and WAnT showed no significant correlation between corresponding power outputs. In conclusion, our results suggest that EKAT has proper metric characteristics, indicating the practical applicability of this test for male water polo players. Further studies on older players and female players are warranted.

Keywords

eggbeater kick, EKAT, WanT, test-retest, reliability

View full article
(PDF – 827KB)

References

Al'Hazzaa, H. M., Almuzaini, K., Al-Refaee, S., & Sulaiman, M. (2001). Aerobic and anaerobic power characteristics of Saudi elite soccer players. Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, 41(1), 54.

Bampouras, T. M., & Marrin, K. (2009). Comparison of Two Anaerobic Water Polo-Specific Tests With the Wingate Test. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 23(1), 336-340. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181876ad0

Bar-Or, O. (1987). The Wingate anaerobic test. An update on methodology, reliability and validity. Sports Medicine, 4(6), 381-394. https://doi.org/10.2165/00007256-198704060-00001

Bogdanis, G. C., Nevill, M. E., Boobis, L. H., & Lakomy, H. (1996). Contribution of phosphocreatine and aerobic metabolism to energy supply during repeated sprint exercise. Journal of Applied Physiology, 80(3), 876-884. https://doi.org/10.1152/jappl.1996.80.3.876

Botonis, P. G., Toubekis, A. G., & Platanou, T. I. (2015). Physiological responses of water-polo players under different tactical strategies. Journal of Sports Science & Medicine, 14(1), 84.

Galán-Rioja, M. Á., González-Mohíno, F., Sanders, D., Mellado, J., & González-Ravé, J. M. (2020). Effects of body weight vs. lean body mass on Wingate anaerobic test performance in endurance athletes. International Journal of Sports Medicine, 41(08), 545-551. https://doi.org/10.1055/a-1114-6206

Galy, O., Zoubir, S. B., Hambli, M., Chaouachi, A., Hue, O., & Chamari, K. (2014). Relationships between heart rate and physiological parameters of performance in top-level water polo players. Biology of Sport, 31(1), 33-38. https://doi.org/10.5604/20831862.1083277

Hoffman, J. R., Epstein, S., Einbinder, M., & Weinstein, Y. (2000). A Comparison Between the Wingate Anaerobic Power Test to Both Vertical Jump and Line Drill Tests in Basketball Players. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 14(3), 261-264.

Hoffman, J. R., Tenenbaum, G., Maresh, C. M., & Kraemer, W. J. (1996). Relationship between athletic performance tests and playing time in elite college basketball players. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 10(2), 67-71.

Kawai, E., Gonjo, T., & Takagi, H. (2023). Kinematic and kinetic parameters to identify water polo players’ eggbeater kick techniques. Sports Biomechanics, 22(12), 1752-1763. https://doi.org/10.1080/14763141.2021.1995477

Kawai, E., Tsunokawa, T., Sakaue, H., & Takagi, H. (2023). Propulsive forces on water polo players’ feet from eggbeater kicking estimated by pressure distribution analysis. Sports Biomechanics, 22(10), 1319-1333. https://doi.org/10.1080/14763141.2020.1797152

McCluskey, L., Lynskey, S., Leung, C. K., Woodhouse, D., Briffa, K., & Hopper, D. (2010). Throwing velocity and jump height in female water polo players: performance predictors. Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, 13(2), 236-240. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2009.02.008

Meckel, Y., Bishop, D., Rabinovich, M., Kaufman, L., Nemet, D., & Eliakim, A. (2013). Repeated sprint ability in elite water polo players and swimmers and its relationship to aerobic and anaerobic performance. Journal of Sports Science & Medicine, 12(4), 738-743. PMCID: PMC3873665

Melchiorri, G., Castagna, C., Sorge, R., & Bonifazi, M. (2010). Game activity and blood lactate in men's elite water-polo players. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 24(10), 2647-2651. https://doi.org/10.1519/jsc.0b013e3181e3486b

Melchiorri, G., Viero, V., Triossi, T., Tancredi, V., Galvani, C., & Bonifazi, M. (2015). Testing and Training of the Eggbeater Kick Movement in Water Polo: Applicability of a New Method. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 29(10), 2758-2764. https://doi.org/10.1519/jsc.0000000000000946

Milanovic, D., & Vuleta, D. (2013). Association between morphological dimensions of water polo players and play performance indicators. Sport Mont, 11, 37-38.

Mohr, M., Krustrup, P., & Bangsbo, J. (2003). Match performance of high-standard soccer players with special reference to development of fatigue. Journal of Sports Sciences, 21(7), 519-528. https://doi.org/10.1080/0264041031000071182

Nakashima, M., Nakayama, Y., Minami, Y., & Takagi, H. (2014). Development of the simulation model for throwing motion in water polo. Sports Engineering, 17, 45-53. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12283-013-0127-x

Ozkaya, O., Balci, G. A., As, H., & Vardarli, E. (2018). The test-retest reliability of new generation power indices of Wingate all-out test. Sports, 6(2), 31. https://doi.org/10.3390/sports6020031

Paul, D. J., Gabbett, T. J., & Nassis, G. P. (2016). Agility in team sports: Testing, training and factors affecting performance. Sports Medicine, 46, 421-442. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-015-0428-2

Pekünlü, E., Ozkaya, O., & Yapicioglu, B. (2016). Drop in mechanical work: A highly reliable fatigue-related output in Wingate All-out Test. Isokinetics and Exercise Science, 24, 25-31. https://doi.org/10.3233/IES-150594

Perazzetti, A., Dopsaj, M., & Tessitore, A. (2023). Technical and tactical evaluation of ball possession in international youth water polo matches using the Team Sport Assessment Procedure (TSAP) instrument. Montenegrin Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, 12(2), 3-9. https://doi.org/10.26773/mjssm.230901

Platanou, T. (2004). Time-motion analysis of international level water polo players. Journal of Human Movement Studies, 46(4), 319-332.

Reilly, T. (1976). A motion analysis of work-rate in different positional roles in professional football match-play. Journal of Human Movement Studies, 2, 87-97.

Rodríguez, F. A. (1994). Physiological Testing of Swimmers and Water Polo Players in Spain. Medicine and Sport Science, 39, 172-177.

Smith, D., Roberts, D., & Watson, B. (1992). Physical, physiological and performance differences between Canadian national team and universiade volleyball players. Journal of Sports Sciences, 10(2), 131-138. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640419208729915

Smith, H. K. (1998). Applied physiology of water polo. Sports Medicine, 26(5), 317-334. https://doi.org/10.2165/00007256-199826050-00003

Stirn, I., Strmecki, J., & Strojnik, V. (2014). The examination of different tests for the evaluation of the efficiency of the eggbeater kicks. Journal of Human Kinetics, 41, 215-226. https://doi.org/10.2478/hukin-2014-0049

Tsekouras, Y. E., Kavouras, S. A., Campagna, A., Kotsis, Y. P., Syntosi, S. S., Papazoglou, K., & Sidossis, L. S. (2005). The anthropometrical and physiological characteristics of elite water polo players. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 95, 35-41. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-005-1388-2

Uljevic, O., Esco, M. R., & Sekulic, D. (2014). Reliability, validity, and applicability of isolated and combined sport-specific tests of conditioning capacities in top-level junior water polo athletes. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 28(6), 1595-1605. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000000308

Varley, M. C., Gabbett, T., & Aughey, R. J. (2014). Activity profiles of professional soccer, rugby league and Australian football match play. Journal of Sports Sciences, 32(20), 1858-1866. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2013.823227