Currently, basketball teams use inertial devices for monitoring external and internal workload demands during training and competitions. However, the intensity thresholds preset by device manufacturers are generic and not adapted for specific sports (e.g., basketball) and players’ positions (e.g., guards, forwards, and centers). Using universal intensity thresholds may lead to failure in accurately capturing the true external load faced by players in different positions. Therefore, the present study aimed to identify external load demands based on playing positions and establish different intensity thresholds based on match demands in order to have specific reference values for teams belonging to the highest competitive level of Spanish basketball. Professional male players (n = 68) from the Spanish ACB league were monitored during preseason official games. Three specific positions were used to group the players: guards, forwards, and centers. Speed, accelerations, decelerations, impacts/min, and player load/min were collected via inertial devices. Two-step clustering and k-means clustering categorized load metrics into intensity zones for guards, forwards, and centers. Guards covered more distance at high speeds (12.72–17.50 km/h) than forwards and centers (p < 0.001). Centers experienced the most impacts/min (p < 0.001). Guards exhibited greater accelerations/decelerations, albeit mostly low magnitude (p < 0.001). K-means clustering allowed the setting of five zones revealing additional thresholds. All positions showed differences in threshold values (p < 0.001). The findings provide insights into potential disparities in the external load during competition and help establish position-specific intensity thresholds for optimal monitoring in basketball. These data are highly applicable to the design of training tasks at the highest competitive level.

The implications of relative age grouping in sport are known as the Relative Age Effect (RAE). This study has the twofold purpose of analyzing RAE in Spanish youth national soccer teams and examining the prediction value of being selected for national youth teams to be a professional. The sample was composed of 548 players divided into five groups. A descriptive analysis of distribution and participation, frequencies, mean and standard deviation, crosstabs, Sankey charts, coefficient correlation and Cohen’s effect size criteria and two regression analyses were performed. Results established that the RAE is present in U’17 to U’21 Spanish youth national teams. Talent detection and selection programs are more reliable the closer they are to adulthood, reaching a success rate of almost 100% at the U’21 stage. The selection of players for such programs should be delayed as much as possible, thus, preventing younger players from dropping out and those selected from thinking they have already reached their goal. To this end, they should focus on long-term improvement, not short-term performance. In addition, factors such as the RAE or the maturity level of the athletes should be monitored.

The menstrual cycle can be seen as a potential determinant of performance. This study aims to analyze the influence of the menstrual cycle in women on sports performance, more specifically on the internal and external load of professional women basketball players. The sample consisted of 16 women players and 14 training sessions were recorded. A descriptive analysis of the mean and standard deviation of the variables according to the different phases of the menstrual cycle was performed, as well as an ANCOVA, partial Eta2 effect size criteria, and Bonferroni’s Post Hoc test to identify differences among phases. The results establish that ovulation is the phase in which higher values of external load are recorded and, therefore, the late follicular phase is the time of the cycle where a greater intensity in explosive distance, accelerations and decelerations are recorded. Considering women’s hormonal cycles, understanding their function and the individual characteristics of each athlete is essential since it allows for the development of specific training, the prevention of injuries and therefore positively affects the performance of women players. To this end, individual training profiles should be created in specific contexts, not following general rules. In addition, psychological factors and the specific position of the athletes should be monitored.

Personalization of workloads is essential for optimizing training processes and minimizing the risk of injuries in sports. Precise knowledge of the external load demands borne by basketball players during competition is necessary for this purpose. The objective of this research was to determine the objective external load demands of five variables during a basketball competition, three kinematic (speed, accelerations, and decelerations) and two neuromuscular variables (impacts/min and Player Load/min), and subsequently establish workload ranges. Six official matches from preparatory tournaments involving professional basketball players from the Spanish first division, Liga ACB, were analyzed. Inertial devices and an UWB system were used for variable localization and recording within indoor spaces. Two methods, two-step and k-means clustering, were employed for workload range classification. The results revealed different workload thresholds clusters based on the data analysis technique used. The following speed ranges were identified in professional basketball players: Standing, 17.51 km/h. The center of cluster 5 was found to determine the concept of a sprint (>19 km/h) as well as high-speed running (>17.50 km/h). Acceleration and deceleration ranges displayed few cases but with considerably high values, which must be considered when designing injury prevention tasks. The distribution of impacts showed a normal pattern, with identified periods during which players withstood significant G-forces (14%). Finally, the Player Load value at which an activity is considered to be very high, 1.95 au/min, was identified. Considering the obtained results, basketball is proposed as a sport with a high neuromuscular load. Coaches should choose the classification method that best suits their needs. These reference values are the first of their kind for this population of top-level professional players and should aid in adjusting training processes to match competition demands.

Basketball players should train at intensities similar to those recorded in competition, but are the intensities really similar? This study aimed to quantify and compare the internal and external intensities assimilated by professional basketball players, both in training and in competition, according to context and the specific player position. Players from the same team in the Spanish ACB competition were monitored for three weeks. The sample recorded intensities in 5 vs. 5 game situations in both training (n = 221) and competition (n = 32). The intensities, as dependent variables, were classified into kinematic external workload demands (distances, high-intensity displacements, accelerations, decelerations, the acceleration:deceleration ratio, jumps, and landings), neuromuscular external workload demands (impacts and player load), and internal workload demands (heart rate). They were measured using inertial measurement devices and pulsometers. The playing positions, as independent variables, were grouped into guard, forward, and center. According to the context, the results reported a significant mismatch of all training intensities, except jumps, with respect to competition; these intensities were lower in training. According to the playing position, inside players recorded more jumps and landings per minute than point guards and outside players in training. In turn, inside players recorded a higher average heart rate per minute than outside players in this same context. There were no significant differences in intensity according to the playing position in the competition. Considering the context–position interaction, no differences were observed in the intensities. Adjusting and optimizing training intensities to those recorded in competition is necessary.