Training Load Monitoring in Amateur Rugby Union: A Survey of Current Practices

Practitioner Usage, Applications, and Understanding of Wearable GPS and Accelerometer Technology in Team Sports

ABSTRACT

Dawson, L, McErlain-Naylor, SA, Devereux, G, and Beato, M. Practitioner usage, applications, and understanding of wearable GPS and accelerometer technology in team sports. J Strength Cond Res 38(7): e373-e382, 2024-Monitoring training load is essential for optimizing the performance of athletes, allowing practitioners to assess training programs, monitor athlete progress, and minimize the risk of injury and overtraining. However, there is no universal method for training load monitoring, and the adoption of wearable global positioning system (GPS) and accelerometer technology in team sports has increased the volume of data and, therefore, the number of possible approaches. This survey investigated the usage, applications, and understanding of this technology by team sports practitioners. Seventy-two practitioners involved in team and athlete performance monitoring using GPS and accelerometer technology completed the survey. All respondents reported supporting the use of GPS technology in their sport, with 70.8% feeling that GPS technology is important for success. Results showed that 87.5% of respondents use data from wearable technology to inform training prescription, although only 50% use the data to influence decisions in competition. In addition, results showed that GPS metrics are used more than accelerometer-derived metrics; however, both are used regularly. Discrepancies in accelerometer usage highlighted concerns about practitioners' understanding of accelerometer-derived metrics. This survey gained insight into usage, application, understanding, practitioner needs, and concerns and criticisms surrounding the use of GPS and accelerometer metrics for athlete load monitoring. Such information can be used to improve the implementation of this technology in team sport monitoring and highlight gaps in the literature that will help to design future studies to support practitioner needs.

Training Load Monitoring Practices Used by Strength and Conditioning Coaches in Hurling, Gaelic Football, Camogie, and Ladies Gaelic Football

BACKGROUND

No research has investigated the training load (TL) monitoring practices currently used by strength and conditioning (S&C) coaches in Gaelic games. The purpose of this study was to investigate the TL monitoring practices used by S&C coaches across senior intercounty male and female Gaelic game sports.

STUDY DESIGN

Cross-sectional.

HYPOTHESES

It was hypothesized that (1) TL is commonly monitored, (2) various methods are used by S&C coaches to monitor TL, and (3) the level of qualifications of the S&C coach is of a professional standard.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level 4.

METHODS

A total of 33 (n = 32 male and n = 1 female) S&C coaches participated in the study by completing an online questionnaire that investigated coach biography, coach education, team biography, monitoring practices, rating of perceived exertion, acute:chronic workload ratio, and data implementation.

RESULTS

The results showed that S&C coaches had varying levels of experience and education. All 33 coaches (100%) stated they monitored the TL of the players. The most common method used to monitor TL was session rating of perceived exertion, which was used by 91% of coaches. Analysis of an open-ended question afforded each participant the opportunity to share additional information, highlighting 3 themes: (1) communication with players, (2) performance testing, and (3) clarity and support among other coaching staff.

CONCLUSION

Multiple methods are used to monitor TL in Gaelic games. Despite multiple forms of technology available, communication with players provides essential information regarding an athlete's state.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

As this is the first study to explore TL monitoring practices used by S&C coaches in Gaelic games, the results may inform the development of educational resources for the guidance of coaches working in Gaelic games in best practice TL monitoring.

A Novel Approach to Training Monotony and Acute-Chronic Workload Index: A Comparative Study in Soccer

Load is a multifactorial construct, but usually reduced to parameters of volume and intensity. In the last decades, other constructs have been proposed for assessing load, but also relying on relationships between volume and intensity. For example, Foster's Training Monotony has been used in athletes' load management simply by computing mean weekly load divided by its standard deviation, often multiplied by session rate of perceived exertion. Meanwhile, the Acute to Chronic Workload Ratio (ACWR) has been debated by the sport scientists as a useful monitoring metric and related to so-called injury prevention. None of these models includes parameters that are representative of training specificity, namely load orientation. The aim of this study is to present broader conceptual approaches translated by new indices for assessing Intraweek Training Monotony (ITM) and Acute to Chronic Workload Index (ACWI) while incorporating load orientation, session duration and weekly density (frequency normalized) in addition to parameters related to proxies of external and/or internal load. Our ITM and Foster's Training Monotony were similar in terms of average values, but very different for individualized analysis, illustrating how average values may be deceiving. While Foster's model provided clusters of values, ITM provided more scattered, individualized data. ACWI and ACWR provided very distinct qualitative information, and the two models were uncorrelated. Therefore, the models incorporating training load orientation presented in this study provide distinct and not redundant information when compared to previous models. More importantly, ITM and ACWI are metrics that are compatible to each other and might fit to coaches' monitoring targets in the short and medium terms, respectively. Because our models include several parameters, including load orientation, we contend that might provide a more complete monitoring tool. However, we suggest they are used for intraindividual comparisons and not so strongly for interindividual comparisons.

Training load monitoring in team sports: a practical approach to addressing missing data

Training load (TL) is a modifiable risk factor that may provide practitioners with opportunities to mitigate injury risk and increase sports performance. A regular problem encountered by practitioners, however, is the issue of missing TL data. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of missing TL data in team sports and to offer a practical and effective method of missing value imputation (MVI) to address this. Session rating of perceived exertion (sRPE) data from 10 male professional soccer players (age, 24.8 ± 5.0 years; height, 181.2 ± 5.1 cm; mass, 78.7 ± 6.4 kg) were collected over a 32-week season. Data were randomly removed at a range of 5-50% in increments of 5% and data were imputed using 12 MVI methods. Performance was measured using the normalized root-mean-square error and mean of absolute deviations. The best-fitting MVI method across all levels of missingness was Daily Team Mean (DTMean). Not addressing missing sRPE data may lead to more inaccurate calculations of other TL metrics (e.g., acute chronic workload ratio, training monotony, training strain). The DTMean MVI method may provide practitioners with a practical and effective approach to addressing the negative consequences of missing TL data.

Physical Preparation in Female Rugby Codes: An Investigation of Current Practices

Female sports have recently seen a dramatic rise in participation and professionalism world-wide. Despite progress, the infrastructure and general sport science provisions in many female sports are behind their male counterparts. From a performance perspective, marked differences in physical and physiological characteristics can be seen between the sexes. Although physical preparation practices for male athletes are known, there are currently no published literature pertaining exclusively to female athletes. This information would provide invaluable data for both the researcher and practitioner alike. This survey therefore aimed to examine current practices utilized in female rugby codes (union, league, and sevens). A questionnaire assessing seasonal physical preparation practices, recovery, monitoring and sport science technology, and unique aspects in female rugby was developed. Thirty-seven physical preparation practitioners (32 males, 5 females) responded to the questionnaire. Most participants (78%) worked with national or regional/state level female athletes. Performance testing was more frequently assessed in the pre- (97%) and in-season (86%), than off-season (23%). Resistance, cardiovascular, sprint and plyometric training, and recovery sessions were all believed to be important to enhancing performance and implemented by most participants (≥ 89%). Sport science technologies were commonly (54%) utilized to inform current practice. Menstrual cycle phase was monitored by 22% of practitioners. The most frequently reported unique considerations in female rugby codes included psycho-social aspects (41%), the menstrual cycle (22%), and physical differences (22%). Practitioners working with female rugby can use the presented data to inform and develop current practices.

The Development and Evaluation of a Training Monitoring System for Amateur Rugby Union

A training monitoring system (TMS) should be both attainable and scientifically grounded; however, the optimal method of monitoring training is not yet fully understood. The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate an online TMS for amateur rugby union. The experimental approach to the problem consisted of five phases: (1) establishing the current training and training load (TL) monitoring practices of amateur rugby union teams, (2) designing and developing the TMS, (3) recruiting teams and subsequently introducing the TMS, (4) supporting the strength and conditioning (S&C) coaches using the TMS, and (5) evaluating the TMS. The findings of this study support the use of an online TMS as a useful and effective method of facilitating training prescription and design in an effort to reduce injury risk and enhance performance. The main barriers impeding player compliance are the lack of feedback on their data and evidence of its use in training design, coaching, and prescription. The effectiveness of the system is dependent on the extent to which the associated challenges are mitigated to ensure quality and consistent data. However, this study offers a method of monitoring training that can be effective while also establishing pitfalls to avoid for both practitioners and researchers alike.