Effects of Varying Team Sizes on Physical Activity Levels of College Students

Abstract

The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine physical activity levels among various team sizes for basketball and soccer in a C/UIPAP setting. Twenty-eight university physical education majors participated in the study. Participants engaged in three-on-three and five-on-five basketball and five-on-five and 11-on-11 soccer games. All games were 20 min in duration, with one game per class period. Objective measures of physical activity were gathered using ActiGraph GT1M accelerometers, and intensity levels were measured via carotid pulse counts and Borg scale. Results indicated that five-on-five matchups in each sport elicited the highest levels of physical activity. Three-on-three basketball and 11-on-11 soccer games provided the least benefit to participants. Findings indicated that team size is an important component for C/UIPAP instructors to consider when designing course activities to promote physical activity.