Abstract
A contact sport is defined as an activity requiring direct physical contact in competition with an opponent(s), guided by established procedures and rules and defined criteria for determining victory (Poliakoff, 1988). More than 2000 years ago, athletes competed for rewards, which ranged from an olive branch to fame and honour (Finley & Pleket, 2012). However, athletes today compete not only for a medal and honour, but also for financial gains in the form of lucrative contracts. Not surprisingly, the increasing professionalization of sports means that conditioning specialists, coaches and athletes constantly need to look for ways to gain an advantage in athletic performance (James, Davey & Rice, 2004; Nevill, Atkinson & Huges, 2008). In addition, the need for physical fitness analysis in sport is increasing, owing to the desire for better understanding of athlete performance in/during a competition environment (James et al., 2004) and due to technological advances, which allow the athlete to gain milliseconds or push beyond their physical boundaries (Filipp, 2007; Garganta, 2009)...
M.Phil. (Sports Science)