The Sprint and Repeated Sprint Ability of Recreational Fours and Fives Wheelchair Rugby Players

Wheelchair rugby (WCR) is an indoor contact sport. The sport is commonly known for its paralympic discipline, WCR Fours. A more inclusive version of the sport, WCR Fives, was developed recently. Previously, it has been reported that sprint and repeated sprint (RS) ability are crucial for success in...

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Main Authors: Chloe Maguire, James Steele, Lee Bridgeman
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: International Universities Strength and Conditioning Association 2025-04-01
Series:International Journal of Strength and Conditioning
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Online Access:https://journal.iusca.org/index.php/Journal/article/view/337
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author Chloe Maguire
James Steele
Lee Bridgeman
author_facet Chloe Maguire
James Steele
Lee Bridgeman
author_sort Chloe Maguire
collection DOAJ
description Wheelchair rugby (WCR) is an indoor contact sport. The sport is commonly known for its paralympic discipline, WCR Fours. A more inclusive version of the sport, WCR Fives, was developed recently. Previously, it has been reported that sprint and repeated sprint (RS) ability are crucial for success in WCR. However, very little is known about the differences in these qualities between those playing WCR Fours and Fives, or between those with a spinal cord injury (SCI) and those without, in recreational WCR players. Therefore, this study aimed to address these gaps in a non-elite sample of athletes. A total of 21 (17 males and four females; SCI n = 10, Non-SCI n = 11) players (mean ± SD; age: 34.66 ± 12.34 years; mass: 76.23 ± 21.96 kg; stature: 1.76 ± 0.09 m) participated. This study measured velocity (m·s-1) and acceleration (m·s-2) with splits at 5, 10, 15, and 20m during three maximal 20m sprint efforts and timing splits during 10 x 20m RSs. Fours and Fives showed similar velocities and accelerations across all distances during the initial sprints. SCI participants had slower velocities and lower acceleration across all distances. However, there were interactions between disability and distance where although SCI participants had lower accelerations over the initial 0-5m distance, the difference decreased as the distance covered increased. During the RSs, similar performances across all distances and all sprint numbers were observed for Fours and Fives and SCI and non-SCI players. In conclusion, there appears to be little difference between Fours and Fives sprint and RS ability.
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spelling doaj-art-518f2d82d9d64f30b9e9f5ab2d6b729c2025-08-20T02:26:51ZengInternational Universities Strength and Conditioning AssociationInternational Journal of Strength and Conditioning2634-22352025-04-015110.47206/ijsc.v5i1.337The Sprint and Repeated Sprint Ability of Recreational Fours and Fives Wheelchair Rugby PlayersChloe Maguire0James Steele1Lee Bridgeman2Solent UniversitySolent UniversitySolent UniversityWheelchair rugby (WCR) is an indoor contact sport. The sport is commonly known for its paralympic discipline, WCR Fours. A more inclusive version of the sport, WCR Fives, was developed recently. Previously, it has been reported that sprint and repeated sprint (RS) ability are crucial for success in WCR. However, very little is known about the differences in these qualities between those playing WCR Fours and Fives, or between those with a spinal cord injury (SCI) and those without, in recreational WCR players. Therefore, this study aimed to address these gaps in a non-elite sample of athletes. A total of 21 (17 males and four females; SCI n = 10, Non-SCI n = 11) players (mean ± SD; age: 34.66 ± 12.34 years; mass: 76.23 ± 21.96 kg; stature: 1.76 ± 0.09 m) participated. This study measured velocity (m·s-1) and acceleration (m·s-2) with splits at 5, 10, 15, and 20m during three maximal 20m sprint efforts and timing splits during 10 x 20m RSs. Fours and Fives showed similar velocities and accelerations across all distances during the initial sprints. SCI participants had slower velocities and lower acceleration across all distances. However, there were interactions between disability and distance where although SCI participants had lower accelerations over the initial 0-5m distance, the difference decreased as the distance covered increased. During the RSs, similar performances across all distances and all sprint numbers were observed for Fours and Fives and SCI and non-SCI players. In conclusion, there appears to be little difference between Fours and Fives sprint and RS ability. https://journal.iusca.org/index.php/Journal/article/view/337Disability sportsField testingDisability classificationPeak velocity
spellingShingle Chloe Maguire
James Steele
Lee Bridgeman
The Sprint and Repeated Sprint Ability of Recreational Fours and Fives Wheelchair Rugby Players
International Journal of Strength and Conditioning
Disability sports
Field testing
Disability classification
Peak velocity
title The Sprint and Repeated Sprint Ability of Recreational Fours and Fives Wheelchair Rugby Players
title_full The Sprint and Repeated Sprint Ability of Recreational Fours and Fives Wheelchair Rugby Players
title_fullStr The Sprint and Repeated Sprint Ability of Recreational Fours and Fives Wheelchair Rugby Players
title_full_unstemmed The Sprint and Repeated Sprint Ability of Recreational Fours and Fives Wheelchair Rugby Players
title_short The Sprint and Repeated Sprint Ability of Recreational Fours and Fives Wheelchair Rugby Players
title_sort sprint and repeated sprint ability of recreational fours and fives wheelchair rugby players
topic Disability sports
Field testing
Disability classification
Peak velocity
url https://journal.iusca.org/index.php/Journal/article/view/337
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