Reliability of a novel badminton intermittent exercise protocol

Purpose: Badminton is a sport characterized by high-intensity activity interspersed with short rests requiring specific physiological fitness, skills and game tactics. This study aimed to develop, describe and establish the reliability of a novel badminton intermittent exercise protocol, to simulate singles match-play (Part A) and assess match-fitness (Part B). Method: Twelve well-trained male badminton players performed a two-part protocol, mimicking the demands and activity of match-play, on two occasions with at least 72 hours recovery. Part A imitated match-play and consisted of forty stages alternating between 20 s work - receiving shuttlecocks from a launcher and ghosting (simulated) actions - and 40 s rest. Part B was an open-ended period, challenging match-fitness, designed to exhaust participants within 10 min. Physiological responses (heart rate, blood lactate and ratings of perceived exertion) (Part A and B) and time to exhaustion (Part B) were determined both times. Results: There were no differences in performance and physiological responses between trials (p > .05). The protocol demonstrated excellent reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient > 0.89) for all variables. Time to exhaustion (Part B) was 198 ± 98 s and 194 ± 82 s, respectively. Mean (Part A) and peak (Part B) heart rates were 166 ± 9; 191 ± 8 b∙min-1 and 166 ± 9; 191 ± 7 b∙min-1 and blood lactate concentrations (Part B) 11.8 ± 2.3 and 11.5 ± 2.1 mmol∙l-1 for trials 1 and 2, respectively. Conclusion: The protocol reliably induces match-like responses and can be used to assess match-fitness for training/research purposes.