The Quantification of Within-Week Session Intensity, Duration, and Intensity Distribution Across a Season in Australian Football Using the Session Rating of Perceived Exertion Method

A two-year examination of the relation between internal and external load and heart rate variability in Australian Rules Football

The relationship between heart rate variability (HRV) and training load in team-sport is unknown. We therefore assessed relations between completed training-load in the previous 1-, 3- and 7-days and waking HRV in professional Australian Rules Football. Linear-mixed models analysed changes in HRV, considering training load from the previous 1-, 3- and 7-days. Total Distance (TD), distance >14.4 km ‧ h-1 (HSR) and >24.9 km ‧ h-1 (Sprint-Distance), duration >85% max heart rate and Rating of Perceived Exertion were included as independent variables. Sub-group analysis of season-phase and years of professional experience was also conducted. Increased three-day Sprint-Distance reduced HRV in the first 8-weeks of pre-season (-13.1 ms, p = 0.03) and across the data collection period (-3.75 ms, p = 0.01). In first-year players, higher previous-day (-63.3 ms, p=0.04) and seven-day TD (-38.2 ms, p = 0.02) reduced HRV, whilst higher seven-day HSR increased HRV (34.5 ms, p = 0.01). In players with five-to-seven years of professional experience, higher three-day (-14.4 ms, p = 0.02) and seven-day TD (-15.7 ms, p = 0.01) reduced HRV, while higher three-day HSR increased HRV (12.5 ms, p = 0.04). In players with greater than eight years of professional experience, higher previous-day Sprint-Distance reduced HRV (-13.1 ms, p < 0.008). Completed training load across the previous 7-days influences HRV, but the relation between variables is complex and influenced by professional experience and season-phase.

Well-being as a performance pillar: a holistic approach for monitoring tennis players

This perspective article aims to discuss the usefulness of tools that can assist tennis professionals effectively manage the well-being of their players. This includes identifying and monitoring meaningful metrics (i.e., training load, training intensity, heart rate variability), as well as careful planning of training and competition schedules with appropriate recovery periods. The use of innovative training methods (i.e., repeated-sprint training in hypoxia and heat training), and proper dietary practices, along with biometric assessment for young players, represents should be considered. Adopting a holistic approach to decision-making about training and competition, balancing both health and performance considerations, is crucial for tennis players and their support teams. More research is needed to refine best practices for enhancing tennis performance while prioritizing the well-being of players.

Weekly Training Demands Increase, but Game Demands Remain Consistent Across Early, Middle, and Late Phases of the Regular Season in Semiprofessional Basketball Players

PURPOSE

To compare weekly training, game, and overall (training and games) demands across phases of the regular season in basketball.

METHODS

Seven semiprofessional, male basketball players were monitored during all on-court team-based training sessions and games during the regular season. External monitoring variables included PlayerLoad™ and inertial movement analysis events per minute. Internal monitoring variables included a modified summated heart rate zones model calculated per minute and rating of perceived exertion. Linear mixed models were used to compare training, game, and overall demands between 5-week phases (early, middle, and late) of the regular season with significance set at P ≤ .05. Effect sizes were calculated between phases and interpreted as: trivial, <0.20; small, 0.20 to 0.59; moderate, 0.60 to 1.19; large, 1.20 to 1.99; very large, ≥2.00.

RESULTS

Greater (P > .05) overall inertial movement analysis events (moderate-very large) and rating of perceived exertion (moderate) were evident in the late phase compared with earlier phases. During training, more accelerations were evident in the middle (P = .01, moderate) and late (P = .05, moderate) phases compared with the early phase, while higher rating of perceived exertion (P = .04, moderate) was evident in the late phase compared with earlier phases. During games, nonsignificant, trivial-small differences in demands were apparent between phases.

CONCLUSIONS

Training and game demands should be interpreted in isolation and combined given overall player demands increased as the season progressed, predominantly due to modifications in training demands given the stability of game demands. Periodization strategies administered by coaching staff may have enabled players to train at greater intensities late in the season without compromising game intensity.

Factors Influencing the Association Between Coach and Athlete Rating of Exertion: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Subjective monitoring of rate of perceived exertion is common practice in many sports. Typically, the information is used to understand the training load and at times modify forthcoming sessions. Identifying the relationship between the athlete and coach's interpretation of training would likely further benefit understanding load management. The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the relationship between coaches' rating of intended exertion (RIE) and/or rating of observed exertion (ROE) and athletes' reported rating of perceived exertion (RPE).

METHODS

The review was undertaken in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. We conducted a search of Medline, Google Scholar, Science Direct, SPORTDiscus, and Web of Science databases. We assessed the correlation between coach-reported RIE and/or ROE and RPE. Assessment for risk of bias was undertaken using the Quality Appraisal for Reliability Studies (QAREL) checklist. Inclusion criteria were (1) male and/or female individuals, (2) individual and/or team sport active participants, and (3) original research article published in the English language.

RESULTS

Data from 19 articles were found to meet the eligibility criteria. A random effect meta-analysis based on 11 studies demonstrated a positive association of player vs. coach rating of RIE (r = 0.62 [95% CI 0.5 to 0.7], p < 0.001). The pooled correlation from 7 studies of player vs. coach rating on ROE was r = 0.64 95% CI (0.5 to 0.7), p < 0.001.

CONCLUSION

There was a moderate to high association between coach RIE and/or ROE and athlete-reported RPE and this association seems to be influenced by many factors. The suggestions we present in this review are based on imploring practitioners to consider a multi-modal approach and the implications of monitoring when using RPE.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

CRD42020193387.

Utilising one minute and four minute recovery when employing the resistance training contrast method does not negatively affect subsequent jump performance in the presence of concurrent training

Background

Little is known about contrast training and post-activation performance enhancement (PAPE) in a same day concurrent training model. The aim of the current study was to examine the use of two short duration (1-min and 4-min) recovery periods on drop jump performance in same day concurrently trained athletes.

Methods

Ten professional Australian Rules footballers (age, 20.6 ± 1.9 yr; height, 184.8 ± 6.9 cm; body mass, 85.8 ± 8.4 kg) completed two resistance training sessions with different PAPE recovery durations; 1-min and 4-min, 1 h following a field-based endurance session. Baseline (pre) drop jumps were compared to post-test maximal drop jumps, performed after each set of three squats (where each participant was encouraged to lift as heavy as they could), to determine changes between 1-min and 4-min recovery periods. Data were analysed by fitting a mixed model (significance was set at P ≤ 0.05). Corrected Hedges' g standardised effect sizes ±95% confidence limits were calculated using group means ± SDs.

Results

There were no significant differences between baseline and experimental sets 1, 2 and 3 for reactive strength index (RSI), flight time, and total and relative impulse for either recovery duration. However, for contact time, 1-min baseline was significantly different from set 2 (mean difference; 95% CI [0.029; 0.000-0.057 s], P = 0.047, ES; 95% CI [-0.27; -1.20 to 0.66]). For RSI and flight time, 1-min was significantly higher than 4-min (RSI: 0.367; 0.091 to 0.642, P = 0.010, ES; 95% CI [0.52; -0.37 to 1.42]; flight time: 0.033; 0.003 to 0.063 s, P = 0.027, ES; 95% CI [0.86; -0.06 to 1.78]).

Discussion

Short recovery periods of 1-min may be a time-efficient form of prescribing strength-power exercise in contrast loading schemes. Longer recovery periods do not appear to benefit immediate, subsequent performance.

The Physical Demands of NCAA Division I Women's College Soccer

Extensive research into women's collegiate soccer is scarce, leaving gaps in the literature with little information available detailing the physical demands at different standards of play. Our purpose was to elucidate the physical demands of the Division I collegiate level and identify differences between playing positions. Twenty-three field players were observed during four competitive seasons using 10-Hz GPS units (Catapult Sports, Melbourne, Australia). Descriptive statistics and 95% confidence intervals were used to determine group and position-specific physical demands. Linear mixed modelling (LMM) was used to compare attacker, midfielder, and defender position groups. Total distance, high-speed distance, and sprint distance were 9486 ± 300 m, 1014 ± 118 m, and 428 ± 70 m, respectively. Furthermore, attackers were observed to cover the greatest distance at all speeds compared to midfielders and defenders. Our findings suggest that the physical demands of Division I women's soccer differ by position and appear lower compared to higher standards of play. Therefore, coaches and sports scientists responsible for the physical training of Division I collegiate players should consider the specific physical demands of the collegiate level and playing position when prescribing training, as well as in the development of their annual training programs.

No association between perceived exertion and session duration with hamstring injury occurrence in professional football

Training and competition loads have emerged as modifiable composite risk factors of non-contact injury. Hamstring strains are the most common injuries in football with substantial burden on the individual player and club. Nevertheless, robust evidence of a consistent load-hamstring injury relationship in professional football is lacking. Using available data from the Qatar Stars League over three competitive seasons, this study investigated the separate and combined effects of perceived exertion and session duration on hamstring injury occurrence in a sample of 30 outfield football players. Load variables were calculated into 7-day, 14-day, 21-day, 28-day periods of data, and week-to-week changes for average ratings of perceived exertion (RPE; au) score and session-RPE (s-RPE; session-duration  ×  score), plus the cumulative training and match minutes and s-RPE, respectively. Conditional logistic regression models estimated load-injury relationships per 2-within-subject standard deviation increments in each candidate variable. Associations were declared practically important based on the location of the confidence interval in relation to thresholds of 0.90 and 1.11 defining small beneficial and harmful effects, respectively. The uncertainty for the corrected odds ratios show that typically high within-subject increments in each candidate variable were not practically important for training- and match-related hamstring injury (95% confidence intervals range: 0.85 to 1.16). We found limited exploratory evidence regarding the value of perceived exertion and session duration as etiological factors of hamstring injury in Middle-East professional football. Monitoring remains valuable to inform player load management strategies, but our exploratory findings suggest its role for type-specific injury risk determination appears empirically unsupported.

DXA-derived estimates of energy balance and its relationship with changes in body composition across a season in team sport athletes

This study examined the relationship between dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA)-derived estimates of energy balance (EB) and changes in body composition across various seasonal phases in team sport athletes. Forty-five Australian rules footballers underwent six DXA scans across a 12-month period (off-season [OS, Week 0-13], early [PS1, Week 13-22] and late pre-season [PS2, Week 22-31] and early [IS1, Week 3-42] and late in-season [IS2, Week 42-51]). EB (kcal·day^-1) was estimated from changes in fat free soft tissue mass (FFSTM) and fat mass (FM) between scans according to a validated formula. An EB threshold of ± 123 kcal·day^-1 for >60 days demonstrated a very likely (>95% probability) change in FFSTM (>1.0 kg) and FM (>0.7 kg). There were small to almost perfect relationships between EB and changes in FM (r = 0.97, 95% CI, 0.96-0.98), FFSTM (r = -0.41, -0.92 to -0.52) and body mass (r = 0.27, 0.14-0.40). EB was lowest during PS1 compared to all other phases (range, -265 to -142 kcal·day^-1), with no other changes at any time. Increases in FFSTM were higher during OS compared to PS2 (1.6 ± 0.4 kg), and higher during PS1 compared to PS2, IS1, and IS2 (range, 1.6-2.1 kg). There were no changes during in-season (-0.1-0.05 kg). FM decreased only in PS1 compared to all other seasonal phases (-1.8 to -1.0 kg). Assessments of body composition can be used as a tool to estimate EB, which practically can be used to indicate athlete's training and nutrition behaviours/practices.