33 Activity profile, heart rate and

blood lactate of futsal referees

during competitive games
Antnio Rebelo, Antnio Asceno, Jos
Magalhes and Peter Krustrup2
Universidade do Porto, Spain; Department of Human Physiology, Universiry
o Copenhagen, Denmark

Jntroduction
Several recent studies have evaluated the locomotor activities and physiological
demands of football referees and assistant referees (Bragada, 2001; Krustrup
and Bangsbo, 2001; Krustrup ei ai., 2002; Helsen and Buitynck, 2004; Castagna
ec ai., 2005; Reilly and Gregson, 2006). Such studies have provided importam
information about match speciflc physical testing and training o football match
officials. Futsal, the FIFA-regulated indoor football, has become a popular indoor
altemative to football, with miii ions of players and fans worldwide. However, the
scientiftc knowledge regarding the physicai demands of fuisal playing is rather
Limired and so far, no studies have investigated rhe accivity profile and physiological
demands of utsal reereeing. Despite some similarities with football refereeing,
several ftitsal-specific features, including pitch size, number a players, game rules
and position of thc referees may impose distinct activity proifies and physiological
demands. Thus, the aims o the presem study were to describe dite activky profile
of futsai referees during cornpetftive games, including number a activity changes,
total distance covered (TD), high-intensity running (RIR), sprinting (SPR) and
sideways running (SR) and to examine the physiological demands by measuring
hearr rate and biood lactate. In addition, intermittent exercise perfonnance of
futsal referes was determined by the Yo-Yo lntermittent Endurance Test, levei 2
(Yo-YoIE2).
Methods
Panicipants
Twelve high-level Portuguese futsal referees (33.0 5.Oyears; 1.73 0.05m; 73.2
8.4kgand 15.7 5.4% fat mass) participated in thisstudy. TheYo-Yo intermittent
endurance levei 2 test performance was 975 237 (rangc 7601240m). AlI the
participants had at least more than five years of experience in the top Portuguese
fiutsai teague.

192

Rebelo, Asceno, Mogoihaes and Kruserup

Acdviey profile analysis

Six referees were fitmed during matches of the 20052006 Portuguese top league
season to determine their locomotor activity. For this purpose, rwo VHS movie
(NV-M50, Panasonie, Germany) placed ar the side of Lhe pitch (leveI
with the half-way tine, at a height o( abour 15 m and at an approximate distance
of 15 m of the touch tine) were used. Each camera obtained dose up images from
each referce. The videotapes were later replayed for computerized timemotion
analyses (Krustrup and Bangsbo, 2001). The locomotor panem cacegories
included standing (Okm.h), walking (km.h-1), jogging (8km.lr), tow-speed
running (I2km.h-), moderate-speeci running (l5km.h-), high-speed running
(lBkm.h ),sprintng (2Skm.h),sideways (lOkm.h-1) and backwards (lOkm.h )
running. The march activities were tater divided into total distance covered, high.
intensity running (HIR> 15 km.lr), sprinting (SPR) and sideways running (SR).
Heari rale and blood lactate
Heart rate (HR) was recorded ar 5 s intervais throughout each game using a Polar
Vantage NV heart raLe monitor (Polar, Kempele, Fintand). Btood samptes were
coltected fi-om the ear tobe ar rest and 12 mm after the end of the game, and
were irnmediately analysed to determine blood lactate concentration using a YSI
1500 S (Yetlow Spring lnstruments, Yellow Springs, OH, USA).
Staristks
The data are presented as means and standard devarions. Difference in heart
rate during the firsr and second half was tested for signfficance using a paired
t-test. Changes in match activities and heart raLe withmn each lmmn period ofthe
game were evatuated by one-way anatysis of variance (NOV) with repeated
measures. The leveI of significance was se at 5 per cem.
Resutts
Accivity projile
As can be depicted from Table 33.1, tire number of activity changes was as high as
1771 314 (SD) over Somin, which corresponds to a change in activity each
2.7s. Total distance covered was 5.61 0.82km of which high-intensity running,
sprinting and sideways running accounted for 0.93 0.18, 0.18 0.07 and 1.00
0.46km, respectivety. The number oHIR and SPR bouts was 137 21 and 19
8, with a mean duration o(1.3s,

1
ToMe 33.! Activity profile o( futsal rekrees cluring competitiva gamas, data are means SD (ri = 6)
Standbag Walking
Jo~ing Lciw spced Moderare
High
specd
speed
Percentage of total time Mean
49.3
29.7
4.9
3.7
2.2
1.3
l4umberorcpecitions
Distancecovered(m)
Duration (s)

SO
Mean
SD
Mean
SD
Mean
SD

6.9
O
O
6.1

2.1
549
32
2411
259
2.6

1.1
182
43
532
113
1.3

1.0
116
23
594
146
1.5

0.9

0.2

0.0

0.1

396
12

0.4.
69
10
438
60
1.5
0.1

0.4
49
13
311
89
1.3
0.0

S$ni

S&leways Backwards

Total

0.5

7.4

1.1

100.0

0.2
19
8
181
77
13
0.1

3.5
166
73
1000
459
2.4
0.5

1.0
27
23

0.0
1572
153

143

5610

131
1.7
0.5

474

194

Rebelo, Asceno, Magalhes and Krustrup

200

Mni~

jiao

los b.p.n,.

0.

leG
142

1140
~120
100
80

First halt
-20

-lo

lO

20

Second MI

30

40

50

80

10

80

90

100

Time (mm)

Figiue 33.1 An example ei the heart rate response ei a fursal reeree during a competitive
game, with mean heart rates during the first and second hali a 150 and 142 beacs.min-
respectively; the heart rate profile clearly reflects the incermittent feature o( the utsal
game
190
?b60

duo
.0

a,

160

usa
140
130
120

110
o
0-10

10-20

20.30

30-40

40-60

5040

80-70

70-80

Time (mm)

Mean heart rate (fihled bars) and peak heart rate (open bars) for referees in
10-min intervals during competitive utsal games; data are means SD (n = 12); # denotes
signiicant difference from 010 mm
Fig.tre 33.2

1-1earc iate
An example ei a ftitsal referees heart rate response is given in Figure 33.1. Mean
heart rate during a match was 146 1 beats.min corresponding to 78 6% a
maxiznal heart rate (HRmax 191 9beats.min-).
The mean heart rate was Iower (P-cO.05) in rhe second hal compared te
the ftrst half (143 13 vs l49141,eats.min). The mean heart rare was lower
(Pc0.05) in the uirst, third and (ourrh lOmin period of the second halfcompared
to the first lO-min period ofthe first half (Figure 33.1). Peak heart rate during a

Activiry piofik, hean rae and blood lacrare offursalreferees

195

match was 176 l4beats.miiv or 92 7% of maximai heart rate. Heart rate was
observed to be in the range of 7080%, 8090% and 90100% of HRmax for 37
4,41 6 and 9 3 of total time, respectively.
Biood laccace
Biood lactate was 1.5 0.5 (0.92.8) mmoi.1 after the game. This value was
higher (P<0.05) than ar rest (1.0 0.3 (0.81.5) mmol.1).
Discussion and conclusion
Futsal is becoming a popular indoor alternative to soccer, with specific rules and
milhons of players and fans worldwide. Given the growing competitive levei of the
game observed in the Iasc decade, increasing physiologicai dernands have been
imposed upon fursai referees. However, in contrasr co soccer, and to the best of
our knowledge, this is the first study that anaiysed the activity profile of ftitsal
referees during competitive matches as weIi as the physioiogicai demands imposed
by the game. Timemotion analysis showed thar Futsai referees covered a Iowa
total discance (5.6km) than both top levei soccer referees (10.3 km) and assistam
referees (7.3km) (Krustrup and Bangsbo, 2001; Krustrup ei ai., 2002). However,
the futsal referees perbrmed a higher number of sprints and sideways running
boucs than foorbail referees, with values corresponding co chose of assistam
referees. Like footbail match officiacing, fursai refereeing is highiy intermittent,
with a cremendousiy high number of accivicy changes. Acrually, che high-intensiry
running bouts are even shorter chan for referees and assistam referes with average
sprint distantes of Iess chan LOm. The hearc rate data recorded in che present
study show char the aerobic ioading is moderate-to-high for futsai referees during
a game. Thus, average heart rates were 145 beats.min which is higher than
for assistam referees bur iower than for referees. Unexpeetedly, the blood lactate
values were only siighciy higher than resting values afta cite game (1.5 vs 1.0 mlvi).
This does not mean that blood lactate values are not high for some fursai referes
after che most intense periods of a game, but it cleariy scresses thac the iactacid
anaerobic energy tumover is of Iess importance for futsai referees than foorbali
referees and assistam referees having average values of around 5 mM after games
(Krustrup and Bangsbo, 2001; Kniscrup a ai., 2002). These findings may weii be
reiated co the duration of the high-intensicy actions, which are shorter for futsal
referees (1.3 s) than for footbaii match officiais (2 s).
In conciusion, futsal refereeing is generaliy characterized as intennittent exercise
with numerous very briefbouts of fast speed and sideways running incerspersed by
iong iow inrensiry recovery periods. Heart rate was moderate-to-high. lnterestingly,
blood lactate was low suggescing that a majority of the anaerobic energy turnover
was provided by breakdown of adenosine triphosphate and creatine phosphace.
These data reinforce the importance of sprint performance and che abiiicy co
recover between intense exercise periods for fursai referees. Therefore, che ability
to perform repeaced brief sprints and to per(orm intermittent match-specific

196

Rebelo, Asceno, Magalhes and Kruscn4,

movements including sideways running, should be incorporated in training and

testing strategies for fucsal referees.
References
Bragada. J., 2001, Avaliao da intensidade dos exerccios de treino. Treino Desponk.o,
14(3):1826.
Castagna, C., Abt, O. and DOnavio, 5., 2005, Competitive.Ievel differences in Yo-Yo
intermittent recovery and twelve minute run test performance in soccer referees.Joun,4
Screngda Condioning Reseo.rch, 19(4): 8059.
Helsen, W and Bulrynck, J.B., 2004, Physical and perceptual-cognitive demands of top
class refereeing in association footbaIl. journol af Spons Sciences, 22: 17949.
Krustrup, R and Bangsbo, J., 2001, Physiological demands of top-class soccer refereeing in
relation to physical capacity: effect of intense intermittent exercise training. Jounwl o)
Spons Sciences. 19: 88191.
Krustrup, P, Mohr M. and Bangsbo, J., 2002, Activity profile and physiological demands
ol topclass soccer assistam refereeing in reladon to training status. Journal o) Spons
Scienca, 20: 86171.
ReiIly, 1 and Oregson, W., 2006, Spectal populations: the refere and assistam referee.
Journol o) Spons Sciences, 24: 795801.