Metabolic profile in elite badminton match play and training drills

Abstract Aim of the study was to analyze the metabolic profile of badminton matches and training drills. Therefore, 11 male (23.2 ± 3.8 years, 182 ± 7 cm, 74.4 ± 8.4 kg) and five female (19.3 ± 1.5 years, 170 ± 6 cm, 62.6 ± 9.2 kg) elite badminton players participated in either a training match ( T M ; n = 7) and/or three protocols of multifeeding drills ( T 10 , T 30, T 50; n = 13), that varied in interval and rest durations (10 s/10 s, 30 s/30 s, 50 s/50 s). Absolute and relative energetic costs ( W tot and E tot ) and contribution to oxidative ( W Oxid ), phosphagen ( W PCr ), and anaerobic glycolytic ( W La ) metabolism were calculated by the three‐component PCr‐La‐O 2 ‐method based on an indirect calorimetric approach from oxygen consumption during exercise, post exercise, and net blood lactate concentration. A novel intermittent approach was used to consider replenishment of phosphocreatine during each resting phase. Results show that during T M , E tot was 676 ± 98J·kg −1 min −1 , while metabolic pathways contributed by 56.9 ± 8.6% ( W Oxid ), 42.7 ± 8.7% ( W PCr ), and 0.4 ± 0.6% ( W La ). In the multifeeding drills E tot was comparable between T 10 (1020 ± 160J·kg −1 min −1 ) and T 30 (985 ± 173 J·kg −1 min −1 ) but higher in T 50 (1266 ± 194J·kg −1 min −1 ) ( p < 0.001). Relative contribution of W Oxid was lower in T 10 (47.3 ± 7.7%) but similar in T 30 (56.5 ± 6.2%) and T 50 (57.3 ± 6.0%) ( p < 0.001). W PCr was highest in T 10 (51.1 ± 8.3%) followed by T 30 (42.2 ± 6.9%) and lowest in T 50 (31.2 ± 7.7%) ( p < 0.001). W La was similar between T 10 (1.6 ± 1.0%) and T 30 (2.1 ± 1.0%) but higher in T 50 (11.6 ± 4.8%) ( p < 0.001). Concludingly, metabolic costs in badminton are predominantly covered by oxidative and phosphagen energetic pathways. Metabolic profiles of the multifeeding drills differ depending on rally/interval duration, with increasing contribution of anaerobic glycolysis and decreasing phosphagen contribution in case of longer intervals.