Effect of glove type on wheelchair rugby sports performance

The aim of the present study was to determine the effects of a selection of gloves currently used by wheelchair rugby players upon aspects of skill performance. Eleven able‐bodied male participants on two separate occasions performed three rugby‐specific drills in four glove conditions: building (BLD), multipurpose (MLP) and US National Football League (NFL) gloves and no gloves (NO). A series of one‐way ANOVA with repeated measures were performed to evaluate the different outcomes. No significant influence of glove condition was evident for ball handling accuracy. However, acceleration drills were completed significantly quicker for the NFL (15.9 ± 0.9 s, P<0.001) and BLD gloves ( 16.5 ± 1.0s, P<0.05) compared with the MLP gloves (17.5 ± 1.3 s). Agility times were significantly quicker for the NFL (14.0 ± 0.9s, P<0.01) and BLD gloves (14.1 ± 1.0s, P<0.05) compared with the MLP gloves (14.9 ± 0.9 s). The NFL (1.2 ± 0.1 m/s2, P<0.001) and BLD gloves (1.1 ± 0.1 m/s2, P<0.01) were also significantly quicker to accelerate over three pushes than the MLP gloves (0.97±0.1 m/s2). A trend was seen in the acceleration between the NFL gloves and NO compared with the NFL gloves (P = 0.057). The peak velocities reached were significantly higher with the NFL gloves (3.5±0.3m/s, P<0.05) compared with the MLP gloves (3.3 ± 0.3 m/s). Subjectively, participants also favored the NFL gloves over MLP gloves. The NFL gloves were shown to perform the best, and the BLD gloves also performed favorably. However, issues still arose regarding the latter gloves’ durability and protection. Gloves seem to make a difference in standardized wheelchair rugby skills. The development of a glove suitable for the specific demands of wheelchair rugby should be considered, and future testing is advised using wheelchair‐dependent rugby players.