The heart rate intensity during 20 minutes of sports participation by circumpubertal children was monitored several times over a season. The competitive games' mean absolute heart rates for basketball, badminton, netball, and tennis were 170, 159, 168, and 162 bts•min<sup>-1</sup> (or 72, 75, 69, and 67% of heart rate maximum), respectively. The mean absolute heart rates for 20 minutes of participation under practice conditions for badminton, basketball, netball, and tennis were 149, 157, 144, and 135 bts•min<sup>-1</sup>, or 73, 75, 69, and 67% of heart rate maximum. At the 0.05 level of probability there was a significant difference between the heart rate intensities under competitive game and practice situations in the badminton, netball, and tennis groups. The difference between intensities of competitive games and practices was nonsignificant in the basketball players. The study concluded that participation in practice and game conditions was positive in providing the potential for a training stimulus.