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. 2021 Aug;51(8):1715-1731.
doi: 10.1007/s40279-021-01461-6. Epub 2021 Jun 4.

The Applied Sports Science and Medicine of Netball: A Systematic Scoping Review

Sarah Whitehead  1   2   3 , Jonathon Weakley  4   5 , Stuart Cormack  6   7 , Helen Alfano  8 , Jim Kerss  9 , Mitch Mooney  6   10 , Ben Jones  4   11   12   13   14
Affiliations

The Applied Sports Science and Medicine of Netball: A Systematic Scoping Review

Sarah Whitehead et al. Sports Med. 2021 Aug.

Abstract

Background: Netball is the one of the most popular women's sports in the world. Since gaining professional status in 2008 there has been a rapid growth in research in the applied sports science and medicine of the sport. A scoping review of the area would provide practitioners and researchers with an overview of the current scientific literature to support on-court performance, player welfare and reduce injury.

Objective: The primary objective was to identify the current research on the applied sports science and medicine of netball. Additionally, the article provides a brief summary of the research in each topic of sports science and medicine in netball and identifies gaps in the current research.

Methods: Systematic searches of PubMed, SPORTDiscus, MEDLINE and CINAHL were undertaken from earliest record to Dec 2020 and reference lists were manually searched. The PRISMA-ScR protocol was followed. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they investigated netball as a sport or the applied sport science and medicine of netball athletes.

Results: 962 studies were identified in the initial search, 150 of which met the inclusion criteria. Injury was the most highly investigated sport science and medicine topic (n = 45), followed by physical qualities (n = 37), match characteristics (n = 24), biomechanics (n = 15), psychology (n = 13), fatigue and recovery (n = 9), training load (n = 4) and nutrition (n = 3). A range of cohorts were used from school to elite and international standards. All cohorts were female netballers, except for one study. A rapid growth in studies over recent years was demonstrated with 65% of studies published in the last decade. There still remains gaps in the literature, with a low evidence base for nutrition, training load and fatigue and recovery.

Conclusion: This scoping review summarises the current evidence base and key findings that can be used in practice to enhance the applied sport science and medical support to netball athletes across a range of playing standards, and support the growth of the sport. It is evident that netball as a sport is still under-researched.

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Conflict of interest statement

Sarah Whitehead, Jonathon Weakley, Stuart Cormack, Helen Alfano, Jim Kerss, Mitch Mooney and Ben Jones declare that they have no conflicts of interest relevant to the content of this review.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flow of selection process for eligible studies for inclusion
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Netball sport science and medicine topics of included studies
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
The geography of included studies
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
A visual representation of the current evidence base and the clinical and practical impact of netball sport science and medicine topics. Note: Lines between topics highlight potential links and relationships between the areas
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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