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The Influence of Match-Day Napping in Elite Female Netball Athletes

Abstract
Purpose: To assess the effect of match-day napping and duration of naps on perceptual and performance indices in elite female netball players over two consecutive netball seasons. Methods: Fourteen elite female netball athletes (mean ± SD; age = 23 ± 6 yr) participated in an observational study over 26 competition matches. On each match day, athletes provided information on their napping habits, perceived energy levels, and then performed 3 countermovement jumps (CMJ) 3h30 prior to the start of the match. One hour following the match, subjective player performance ratings from the players and two members of the coaching staff were obtained. Naps were characterized into 3 conditions for analysis; No Nap (NN), <20 min Nap (SHORT), and ≥20 min Nap (LONG). Results: A significant difference in peak jump velocity was observed between the SHORT and the NN condition in favor of the shorter nap (3.23 ± 0.26 and 3.07 ± 0.36 m.s-1, respectively, d = 0.34, p < 0.05). A moderate, significant difference (d = 0.85; p < 0.05) was observed for the coach rating of performance (out of 10) between the SHORT and the NN condition (7.2 ± 0.8 and 6.4 ± 0.9, respectively) in favor of SHORT. Conclusion: The findings from the study would suggest that a short nap (<20 min) on the day of competition can enhance jump velocity and improve subjective performance in elite netball players, as assessed by coaching staff.
Type
Journal Article
Type of thesis
Series
Citation
O’Donnell, S., Beaven, C. M., & Driller, M. W. (2018). The Influence of Match-Day Napping in Elite Female Netball Athletes. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance. https://doi.org/10.1123/ijspp.2017-0793
Date
2018
Publisher
Human Kinetics
Degree
Supervisors
Rights
This is an author’s accepted version of an article published in the journal: International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance. © 2018 Human Kinetics, Inc.