The importance of umpire during competition makes it essential to identify in detail the referee’s performance. The present study aimed to carry out a bibliographic review that presents an analysis of the factors that influence a referee’s performance, from the physical/physiological, psychological and decisional points of view. The design was centred on a systematic data review according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). The databases used for the review have been WOS and SCOPUS. The inclusion criteria were: (i) Studies in English and Spanish; (ii) Investigations on the physiological, psychological and technical profile of basketball referees; and (iii) Relevant data on the performance of basketball referees during competition. After the review process, 51 articles were selected, classified into three groups of variables: “Decision-Making” (16), “Psychological Demands” (15) and “Physiological/Physical Demands” (21). The results show the importance and influence of the basketball referee during competition and the need to work on their continuous training according to the requirements of the game. Specifically, the referee must work to improve in three principal aspects: decision-making (knowledge of the rules, their application during the competition, the mechanics of movements or the control of the game in situations of conflict or stress); physical/physiological condition (HR, Distance Covered, Speed, PlayerLoad or METs) and stress situations (referee errors, protests, abuses or game adjusted). All of the above should be related with the experience and competence that all referees should acquire to be able to develop their functions as successfully as possible, using the different tools and methods detailed in the studies analysed to help them to improve their vision and their role in the competition.

(1) Background: The use of advanced technology to study the energy demands of sport participants during actual sport competition is an important current research direction. The purpose of this study was to identify the physiological, internal, and external demands placed on basketball referees using ultra-wideband (UWB) technology, in relation to the period of the game. (2) Methods: The sample was comprised of nine international referees, and the data collection took place during the Women’s EuroBasket Sub-16 championship. Internal and external load were assessed through the inertial device WIMU PRO^TM, using UWB technology in order to quantify the effort exerted by each referee. The internal load was examined in relation to each individual’s heart rate (HR). The external load included the kinematic variables accelerations (Acc), decelerations (Dec), Acc/min, Dec/min, distance covered, steps, maximum speed (Vmax), average speed (Vavg), and speed zones, as well as the neuromuscular variables impacts (Imp), PlayerLoad^TM (PL^TM), PL^TM/min, Metabolic Power (PMet), and PMet/min. (3) Results: The results exposed that referees work around 62% HRmax and spend more than 80% of the match at intensities between 0–12 km/h. The first period was the period in which the greatest work demand was experienced in relation to these neuromuscular outcomes (11.92 PL; 3.61 Met; 277 Impacts). The results revealed a diminishment of internal and external demands on the referees over the course of the game. (4) Conclusions: The results highlight the importance of monitoring and quantifying the workload of basketball officials, because doing so would allow for the establishment of individualized performance profiles that could be designed with the purpose of benefiting referee performance during games. The use of inertial devices allows for the objective quantification of referee workload under competitive circumstances.

The purpose of the present study was to analyze the sex-related differences in beach handball workload. A total sample of 105 handballers (male, n=50; female, n=55) belonging to six U’16 teams, seven U’18 teams and eight senior teams were monitored in the final round of 2018-2019 beach handball tournament celebrated during 3-days congested-fixture design. The external load variables Steps, Jumps, Player Load, Total Impacts (>2G) and Total Impacts per Intensities (very low, 2-4G; low, 4-6G; moderate, 6-8G; high, 8-10G; very high, >10G) through WIMUTM inertial devices. Statistical analysis was composed by t-test and Cohen’s d for anthropometrical variables and by MANOVA and omega partial square for sex and categories related differences. Greater values in male handballers were found in height, weight and age in each categories (U’16: p<0.05; d=0.50-2.26; U’18: p<0.05; d=0.95-2.21; senior: p<0.05; d=1.01-1.99), except in age in U’18 (p=0.97; d=0.01). Respect to external workload, differences were found related to category (p<0.01; ωp²= 0.02-0.05, small) and sex (p<0.01; ωp²= 0.04-0.21, small to high), except in Steps (p=0.47; ωp²= 0.00), finding the greatest sex-related differences in U’16 category. From the differences found in anthropometrical characteristics and external workload, their evaluation during competition allows designing specific training sessions with the purpose of sports performance enhancement in beach handball.

La Revista Internacional de Medicina y Ciencias de la Actividad Física y del Deporte es una revista multidisciplinar, científico-técnica, en torno a las Ciencias de la Actividad Física y del Deporte. Todos los temas son publicables siempre que estén relacionados con la actividad física y el deporte y sea explícita esta relación en el artículo.