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

Cyril Brechbuhl (1) , Franck Brocherie (2) , Grégoire P. Millet (3) , Laurent Schmitt (3)

1 FFT - Fédération Française de Tennis
2 SEP (EA7370) - French Institute of Sport (INSEP), Laboratory Sport, Expertise and Performance (EA7370)
3 ISSUL - Institute of Sport Sciences of University of Lausanne

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.

Domaines: Sport; Physiologie du sport

Cyril Brechbuhl, Franck Brocherie, Grégoire P. Millet, Laurent Schmitt. Effects of Repeated-Sprint Training in Hypoxia on Tennis-Specific Performance in Well-Trained Players. Sports Medicine International Open, 2018, 02 (05), pp.E123-E132. ⟨10.1055/a-0719-4797⟩. ⟨hal-02097037⟩