Background: Fatigue demonstrated by decreasing performance seems to occur towards the ends of periods of matches and can lead to a win or loss of the match. Objective: This study aimed to assess the influence of fatigue on internal and external load using game-based drills in junior and adult male basketball players. Methods: A total of 50 elite basketball players participated in this study. Every participant was monitored by the Team Pro Polar system to find out heart rate and activity demands during a game-based drill. Mixed analysis of variance 2 × 4 was used. Results: Significant interactions between age category and playing quarter were found for distance covered (p = .001, ηp2 = .25). Significant interactions between age category and playing quarter were found for relative time in zone 3 (running, p = .013, ηp2 = .25) and zone 4 (high-intensity running, p = .004, ηp2 = .34). When comparing the last three minutes of quarters, a significant main effect was found for playing quarter, when the distance covered (p = .001, ηp2 = .47) significantly decreased. A significant main effect was found for playing quarter, whereby relative time spent in zone 3 (p = .012, ηp2 = .09; quarter 1 vs. 4: p = .044) significantly increased, and in zone 4 decreased (p = .001, ηp2 = .29, moderate effect; quarter 1 vs. 4: p = .010). When comparing heart rate and activity demands during the last three minutes of playing quarters, the significant main effect for the age category was found in distance covered (p = .004, ηp2 = .27). It was greater in adult male players compared to junior players. Conclusions: The fatigue affects the distance covered, and intensity of activity demands during the last three minutes of quarters, but not the heart rate response of players.

Department of Sport Faculty of Physical Culture Palacký University Olomouc Olomouc Czech Republic

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