Assessing the Relationship and Convergent Validity of Player Load and Dynamic Stress Load in Basketball: A Multivariable Regression Analysis.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to assess the strength of the relationship between Player Load and dynamic stress load (DSL); to evaluate the convergent validity between Player Load, DSL, and other external-load parameters in basketball; and to develop multiple-regression models to explain the relative importance of different external-load parameters to Player Load and DSL.

METHODS

Thirteen male basketball players less than 18 years old (age: 16.9 y, height: 198.1 cm, and body mass: 80.2 kg) participated in this study during the 2023-24 season. Players' physical demands were monitored with a local positioning system that was combined with inertial microsensors (WIMU PRO, RealTrack Systems SL). The accelerometer-derived metrics analyzed in this study were Player Load and DSL and other external-load metrics.

RESULTS

Player Load and DSL showed a very large repeated-measure relationship, rm_corr = .781. Player Load showed a relationship with total distance (.967, almost perfect), high-speed running (.687, large), acceleration distance (.680, large), and deceleration distance (.661, large). Dynamic stress load showed a significant relationship with total distance (.662, large), high-speed running (.663, large), acceleration distance (.426, moderate), and deceleration distance (.412, moderate).

CONCLUSIONS

Player Load and DSL are correlated but not interchangeable. Player Load correlates at least moderately with all external-load measures monitored, with total distance and step count being almost perfect. Although DSL is correlated well with impacts, step count, and jump count over 3 gravitational forces, it correlates to a lesser extent with all metrics. Finally, this study developed 2 multiple-regression models to explain the relative importance of external-load parameters.