# High-Speed Running and Sprinting Thresholds in Elite Female Team Sports: A Systematic Review
## 1 Introduction  
Within the category of multi-directional sports (e.g., soccer, basketball, or handball), the physical demands registered during training and competition vary widely for running [1, 2, 3]. Some multi-directional sports require frequent and consistent sagittal plane sprinting and high-intensity running [4], while others emphasize more lateral shuffling or cutting, andsome are heavily reliant on jumping [4]. Indeed, a range of sport-specific considerations could impact the physical demands, including the playing dimensions, player density, positional characteristics, game rules, or timing structure [5]. Wearable technology, such as accelerometers, inertial measurement units (IMUs), local positioning systems (LPSs), ultra-wide band (UWB) systems, or global positioning systems (GPSs), provide valid and reliable measures that help performance staff quantify and track the volume of sport-specific demands during match play [5; 6; 7]. Previous research has utilized different metrics or variables to quantify the external load [8; 9]. The most commonly used tracking metrics are as follows: total distance, relative distance (distance/duration), distance and/or time in speed zones (total, relative, and percentages), high-intensity actions (usually referred to as distance, time and/or counts of accelerations, decelerations, and jumps), and peak velocity [5; 10; 11]. There have been several systematic reviews addressing activity demands in team sports. For example, [PERSON] et al. (2017) [4] analyzed running demands, including the total distance, characteristics of sprinting and high speed/intensity running, and the differences in these variables across sports, sex, and age. In another systematic review, [PERSON] et al. 2019 [11] aimed to quantify and compare high- and very-high-speed acceleration vs. deceleration demands occurring during competitive match play in elite team sport contexts. Additionally, a systematic review quantified the acceleration events in elite team sports [10]. More recently, [PERSON] et al., 2022 [5] published a narrative review about tracking systems and their applications in team sports. Furthermore, some scoping reviews have addressed match demands of female team sports [2], as well as the use of traditional arbitrary (absolute) thresholds compared to individualized running speed thresholds in team sports players [12]. Despite this growing body of knowledge, there is currently no systematic review or meta-analysis that has specifically focused on quantifying and comparing high-speed running (HSR) and sprinting thresholds in female team sports. The existing literature shows a variety of approaches in defining running speed thresholds among team sports [12]. To classify the intensity of movements, commonly, five threshold ranges have been utilized (e.g., covered distance: standing, walking, jogging, running, and sprinting) [4]. These thresholds are specific for the device manufacturer (e.g., covered distance: standing >6 km/h, walking 6-12 km/h, jogging 12-18 km/h, running 18-24 km/h, and sprinting >24 km/h) [4]. However, these thresholds may not be universally applicable to all sports [8; 9; 12; 13] or for both genders [13]. The novelty of this review lies in its specific focus on elite female team sports, addressing a critical gap in the literature not covered by previous reviews. By systematically analyzing speed thresholds applied to female athletes, this study offers unique insights into monitoring and prescribing training loads for this population. This review is essential for guiding future research and providing practical applications in sports science, particularly in the accurate monitoring of training loads in female team sports. Moreover, this systematic review could prove useful designing training contents and drills, as it would allow practitioners to make evidence-informed decisions when planning training sessions to ensure adequate HSR and sprint distance exposure.