Effects of Repeated-Sprint Training in Hypoxia on Tennis-Specific Performance in Well-Trained Players

Cyril Brechbuhl; Franck Brocherie; Gregoire P. Millet; Laurent Schmitt

doi:10.1055/a-0719-4797

Sports Medicine International Open, Table of Contents

CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Sports Med Int Open 2018; 02(05): E123-E132
DOI: 10.1055/a-0719-4797

Training & Testing

Effects of Repeated-Sprint Training in Hypoxia on Tennis-Specific Performance in Well-Trained Players

Cyril Brechbuhl

¹French Tennis Federation, National Tennis Center, 4 Place de la Porte Molitor, Paris, France

²ISSUL, Institute of Sport Sciences, Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland

,

Franck Brocherie

³Laboratory Sport, Expertise and Performance (EA 7370), Research Unit, French Institute of Sport (INSEP), Paris, France

,

Gregoire P. Millet

²ISSUL, Institute of Sport Sciences, Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland

,

Laurent Schmitt

²ISSUL, Institute of Sport Sciences, Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland

⁴National Ski-Nordic Center, Premanon, Les Rousses, France

› Author Affiliations

Abstract

This study examined the physiological, physical and technical responses to repeated-sprint training in normobaric hypoxia [RSH, inspired fraction of oxygen (FiO₂) 14.5%] vs. normoxia (RSN, FiO₂ 20.9%). Within 12 days, eighteen well-trained tennis players (RSH, n=9 vs. RSN, n=9) completed five specific repeated-sprint sessions that consisted of four sets of 5 maximal shuttle-run sprints. Testing sessions included repeated-sprint ability and Test to Exhaustion Specific to Tennis (TEST). TEST’s maximal duration to exhaustion and time to attain the ‘onset of blood lactate accumulation’ at 4 mMol.L⁻¹ (OBLA) improvements were significantly higher in RSH compared to RSN. Change in time to attain OBLA was concomitant with observations similar in time to the second ventilatory threshold. Significant interaction (P=0.003) was found for ball accuracy with greater increase in RSH (+13.8%, P=0.013) vs. RSN (–4.6%, P=0.15). A correlation (r=0.59, P<0.001) was observed between change in ball accuracy and TEST’s time to exhaustion. Greater improvement in some tennis-specific physical and technical parameters was observed after only 5 sessions of RSH vs. RSN in well-trained tennis players.

Key words

sport-specific fitness - hypoxia - repeated-sprint ability - V̇ O_2max - ball accuracy - tennis performance

Full Text

References

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