The water polo game is an sport event of intermittent characteristic, with four periods of 7 min and 2 min of interval between the periods. In cases of game extension, after a 5-min resting period, the game follows on with two game periods of 3 min each, with a 1-minute interval for the teams to change sides. In events with these characteristics, the use of blood lactate measurement has been suggested as an indicative of metabolic response. For this reason, the aim of the present study was to check blood lactate accumulation [La] immediately after each period of a game of the 1999 State Championship for Children and Adolescents (a game to classify the 3rd place in the Championship), and to verify if there are [La] differences between game periods and extension periods. The sample was made of five athletes of the Clube Internacional de Regatas Team (age = 15.8 + 0.4 years; body mass = 71.5 + 11.0 kg and height = 180 + 4 cm). Blood was drawn from the ear lobe and analyzed by a Yellow Springs model 1500 Sport analyzer. Kruskal-Wallis Oneway statistical analysis was used to compare [La] among the periods. The results of the [La] are not different (chi-square = 0.9615; p = 0.9156), in the different periods (period 1 = 4.64 + 1.21 mM; period 2 = 5.08 + 1.95 mM; period 3 = 4.72 + 1.33 mM; period 4 = 4.32 + 1.12 mM; extension = 4.11 + 1.03 mM). Results indicate low demand from the anaerobic glycolysis, and suggest that there is a higher demand from the anaerobic system (ATP-CP) in the decisive moments of the game, and from the aerobic metabolism in the interval between the periods. Due to the lack of studies involving water polo, the preparation of new papers that bring more conclusive information may be appropriate.
Lactate; Water polo; Game situation
