# The Running Performance Decrement in Elite Hurling
## 4 Discussion
Overall, there were ~5 sprints per quarter. Previous research in hurling has shown that the average duration between sprints was ~208 s [10]. Players may have had enough time between sprints to maintain the number and the total sprint distance throughout the game. In addition, the game of hurling is continuously stopping and starting, with an average and total ball-in-play time being \(\sim\)22 s and \(\sim\)30 min, respectively [15]. The players may be using the average (\(\sim\)28 s) and total ball-out-of-play time (\(\sim\)46 min) [15] to recover and maintain their sprint performance for the full game. A similar sprint threshold was used in Gaelic football and the current study (\(>\)22 km\(\cdot\)h\({}^{-1}\)). Gaelic football half backs, midfielders, and half forwards experienced greater decrements in sprint distance compared to full forwards and full backs [19]. In contrast, no positional differences were observed across any position in the current results. The middle three positions in Gaelic football tend to be involved in carrying the ball from the defense into the attack. Once a player gains possession of the ball, a number of their teammates run alongside the player to provide an option for a pass. Whereas, in hurling, once a player gains possession, they are more likely to hit the ball into the forwards. Therefore, the ball could be traveling the distance compared to the players running with the ball. This ball movement may reduce the overall volume of distance sprinted, which may minimize the drop-off between quarters observed in hurling. The present study comes with some acknowledged limitations. Firstly, the current study only assessed the running performances between quarters of match-play. No attempt was made to include the technical or tactical elements of the game. As the ball can be hit large distances from one end of the field to the other, this may reduce the running performances during each quarter as the ball may be traveling rather than the players. Future studies should investigate the technical demands of hurling and look at how these technical skills may influence the running performances per quarter. Secondly, each quarter was divided per the total match duration. Previous research in hurling showed that the ball was only in-play for 30 min out of a total of 70 min [15]. As a result, some quarters may have more or less ball-in-play time than others. Future studies should identify the ball-in-play time and investigate the differences in running performances per quarter when the ball is in-play and out-of-play. Additionally, players were asked to present to the games fully fuelled and hydrated. No record was taken of the meals and the hydration levels of the players before the game. Future studies should assess the influence of nutrition strategies on the per quarter running performances in hurling. Lastly, it is acknowledged that GPS metrics alone do not provide a comprehensive evaluation of the training load, and further qualitative and quantitative measurements are required [35]. Some important practical applications appear considering the current findings. As several running metrics are higher in Q1 compared to other quarters, coaches need to consider the placement of their activities with the overall session design. Unconsciously, activities prescribed during the second half of training may not allow players to reach HSR speeds compared to those prescribed early in the session. This may be facilitating the drop-off in running performance in Q2, Q3, and Q4 compared to Q1. Additionally, midfielders performed a similar total distance in each quarter, but their HSR distance reduced in Q3 and Q4 compared to Q1. Conditioning for midfield players should ensure that they can cover similar HSR distances in each quarter. The distances of conditioning or hurling drills should be long enough to allow players to reach the HSR threshold. No matter what position, all players need to perform similar total sprint distances and the number of sprints.