Preseason Training Improves Perception of Fatigue and Recovery From a Futsal Training Session

Acute fatigue in indoor court-based team sports: A systematic review

Fatigue in team sports has been widely researched, with a number of systematic reviews summarising the acute (i.e., within 48-hours) response in outdoor sports. However, the fatigue response to indoor court-based sports is likely to differ to outdoor sports due to smaller playing fields, harder surfaces, and greater match frequencies, thus should be considered separately to outdoor sports. Therefore, this study aimed to conduct a systematic review on acute fatigue in indoor court-based team-sport, identify methods and markers used to measure acute fatigue, and describe acute fatigue responses. A systematic search of the electronic databases (PubMed, SPORTDiscus, MEDLINE and CINHAL) was conducted from earliest record to June 2023. Included studies investigated either a physical, technical, perceptual, or physiological response taken before and after training, match, or tournament play. One-hundred and eight studies were included, measuring 142 markers of fatigue. Large variability in methods, fatigue markers and timeline of measurements were present. Cortisol (n =  43), creatine kinase (n =  28), countermovement jump (n =  26) and testosterone (n =  23) were the most frequently examined fatigue markers. Creatine kinase displayed the most consistent trend, increasing 10-204% at 24-hours across sports. There is large variability across studies in the methods and markers used to determine acute fatigue responses in indoor court-based team sports. Future researchers should focus on markers that display high reliability and transfer to practice. The robustness of studies may be increased by ensuring appropriate methods and timescale of fatigue marker measurement are used. Further research is required to determine which combination of markers best describes a fatigue response.

Prevalence of Specific Mood Profile Clusters among Elite and Youth Athletes at a Brazilian Sports Club

Those responsible for elite and youth athletes are increasingly aware of the need to balance the quest for superior performance with the need to protect the physical and psychological wellbeing of athletes. As a result, regular assessment of risks to mental health is a common feature in sports organisations. In the present study, the Brazil Mood Scale (BRAMS) was administered to 898 athletes (387 female, 511 male, age range: 12-44 years) at a leading sports club in Rio de Janeiro using either "past week" or "right now" response timeframes. Using seeded k-means cluster analysis, six distinct mood profile clusters were identified, referred to as the iceberg, surface, submerged, shark fin, inverse iceberg, and inverse Everest profiles. The latter three profiles, which are associated with varying degrees of increased risk to mental health, were reported by 238 athletes (26.5%). The prevalence of these three mood clusters varied according to the response timeframe (past week > right now) and the sex of the athletes (female > male). The prevalence of the iceberg profile varied by athlete sex (male > female), and age (12-17 years > 18+ years). Findings supported use of the BRAMS as a screening tool for the risk of psychological issues among athletes in Brazilian sports organisations.

Effect of Foam Roll recovery method on performance in water polo players: a randomized controlled trial

OBJECTIVES

This intervention study aimed to evaluate how the use of Foam Roller (FR) as a recovery strategy affects water polo performance after a seven-week (28-session) program.

DESIGN

A randomized controlled trial.

METHODS

Thirty water polo players (14 male amateur players and 16 female sub-elite players) were assigned by means of sealed opaque envelopes to the control group (CG) or Foam Roller Group (FRG) and performed the same total number and intensity of training sessions. Test protocols were performed before (pretest), in-test (week 5), and after the intervention period (posttest). These included water polo-specific performance tests such as in-water boost, throwing speed, and 20 m sprint swimming tests. In addition, during the intervention, heart rate (HR), the scale of perceived exertion of the session (sRPE), and total quality recovery scale (TQR) data were recorded.

RESULTS

There were no differences in the baseline values in any of the variables analyzed between CG and FRG. A small decrease in in-water boost was observed in CG (-2%, ES = -0.35 [-0.95: 0.26], p = 0.016, very likely small) and in FRG (-2%, ES = -0.33 [-0.93: 0.27], p = 0.021, likely small). No significant changes were found in either the 20 m swim test or the throwing test in CG and FRG. No clear differences among groups and weeks were found in sRPE, TQR and HR.

CONCLUSION

The findings indicate that the use of FR as a recovery tool after training and matches is not useful in water polo players.

The reliability of a linear position transducer for measuring countermovement jump performance in national-level road cyclists

BACKGROUND

Jump tests have applications in fatigue monitoring, training intervention evaluations, and talent identification in cycling populations. Due to competitive cycling's inherent travel demands, linear position transducers (LPTs) are suitable for assessing jump performance in this population as they are a mobile and validated technology. Understanding the reliability and sensitivity of LPTs in assessing jump performance in cycling populations is required to support the development of sports science protocols. Using an LPT, this study aimed to determine the reliability and sensitivity of countermovement jump (CMJ) variables in road cyclists.

METHODS

Ten national-level male road cyclists performed three maximal CMJ trials twice per week for two weeks, with an LPT measuring force, power, velocity, repetition rate, vertical distance, and concentric time from each trial. Using the mean and best CMJ results from three trials per testing session, the upper limit 90% confidence interval for the coefficient of variation (CV) and smallest worthwhile change (SWC) determined inter-day and -week reliability (CV ≤ 10%) and sensitivity (acceptable sensitivity = CV ≤ SWC) for CMJ variables.

RESULTS

Mean power and force, velocity (mean and peak), vertical distance (VD), and concentric time had acceptable inter-day and -week reliability when using either the mean or best CMJ results (CV upper limit 90% confidence interval range = 3.54-10.13%). Moreover, the CV and SWC were typically lower when based on the mean rather than the best of three CMJ trials. Lastly, poor sensitivity (CV > SWC) was evident for all CMJ variables.

CONCLUSIONS

CMJ-derived mean power and force, velocity (peak and mean), VD, and concentric time have acceptable inter-day and -week reliability when assessed via an LPT in national-level road cyclists. When using an LPT, sports scientists should consider that, while they typically have poor sensitivity, the reliability of CMJ-derived variables improves when expressed as the mean of three trials in national-level road cyclists.

Psychometric Characteristics of the Brazil Mood Scale among Youth and Elite Athletes Using Two Response Time Frames

Regular assessment of the mood construct as an indicator of psychological wellbeing is used in Brazil to screen athletes for risk of mental health issues. The present study tested the psychometric characteristics of the Brazil Mood Scale (BRAMS) using both "right now" and "past week" response time frames and investigated between-group differences in mood based on athletes' sex, age, and social vulnerability. Participants were 898 athletes (511 male, 387 female, age range: 12-44 years) from eight sports. The factorial validity of the BRAMS was supported using both response time frames independently and in a multi-sample analysis. Subscale reliability was supported for both time frames. Fatigue, depression, and tension scores were higher using the "past week" time frame than the "right now" time frame. Males reported higher vigor scores than females, and younger participants (<18 years) reported lower scores for anger and depression than older participants (18+ years). No significant differences in mood (p > 0.05) were found between participants identified as socially vulnerable and those who were not socially vulnerable. Findings supported the psychometric integrity of the BRAMS and its use as a screening measure for psychological wellbeing among youth and elite athletes in Brazil.

Reduced running performance and greater perceived exertion, but similar post-exercise neuromuscular fatigue in tropical natives subjected to a 10 km self-paced run in a hot compared to a temperate environment

Environmental heat stress impairs endurance performance by enhancing exercise-induced physiological and perceptual responses. However, the time course of these responses during self-paced running, particularly when comparing hot and temperate conditions, still needs further clarification. Moreover, monitoring fatigue induced by exercise is paramount to prescribing training and recovery adequately, but investigations on the effects of a hot environment on post-exercise neuromuscular fatigue are scarce. This study compared the time course of physiological and perceptual responses during a 10 km self-paced treadmill run (as fast as possible) between temperate (25°C) and hot (35°C) conditions. We also investigated the changes in countermovement jump (CMJ) performance following exercise in these two ambient temperatures. Thirteen recreational long-distance runners (11 men and 2 women), inhabitants of a tropical region, completed the two experimental trials in a randomized order. Compared to 25°C, participants had transiently higher body core temperature (TCORE) and consistently greater perceived exertion while running at 35°C (p < 0.05). These changes were associated with a slower pace, evidenced by an additional 14 ± 5 min (mean ± SD) to complete the 10 km at 35°C than at 25°C (p < 0.05). Before, immediately after, and 1 h after the self-paced run, the participants performed CMJs to evaluate lower limb neuromuscular fatigue. CMJ height was reduced by 7.0% (2.3 ± 2.4 cm) at 1 h after the race (p < 0.05) compared to pre-exercise values; environmental conditions did not influence this reduction. In conclusion, despite the reduced endurance performance, higher perceived exertion, and transiently augmented TCORE caused by environmental heat stress, post-exercise neuromuscular fatigue is similar between temperate and hot conditions. This finding suggests that the higher external load (faster speed) at 25°C compensates for the effects of more significant perceptual responses at 35°C in inducing neuromuscular fatigue.

Relationships between perceived measures of internal load and wellness status during overseas futsal training camps

Exercise and sport practitioners frequently utilize rating of perceived exertion (RPE) to evaluate the players’ psychophysiological strains during training sessions. The subjective rating of physical exertion level during sports training has been shown to have a reciprocal relationship with wellness status during periodic training or competitive seasons. However, the relationship between subjective physical exertions and wellness status during short-term overseas training camps (OTCs) has not been extensively investigated. This study aimed to examine the perceived responses of physical exertions [session-RPE (sRPE), training monotony, and training strain] and wellness status (fatigue, sleep, delayed onset muscle soreness, stress, and mood) measures in elite young adult futsal players from four separate OTCs with different training tasks. Twenty-seven U-20 male national team futsal players voluntarily participated in this study. The players recruited for OTCs were based on their performance during domestic training camps and the tactical demand of the team. The task of each OTCs was defined as: 1) 1st OTC = game-based camp (n = 14); 2) 2nd and 3rd OTC = training-based camp (n = 20 and n = 17, respectively); and 3) 4th OTC = pre-tournament camp (n = 14). The OTCs consisted of 11 training sessions (18.9 hours) and 16 friendly matches (23.8 hours). During daily training sessions and friendly matches, sRPE was used to quantify training load (TL). Additionally, a five-elements general wellness questionnaire was used to evaluate daily wellness status in the morning. The results demonstrated that the mean and sum sRPE in the game-based OTCs were significantly lower compared to the mean sRPE [p < 0.01, effect size (ES) = -4.8; p < 0.01, ES = -2.9] and sum sRPE in the training-based OTCs (p < 0.01, ES = -3.6; p < 0.01, ES = -3.1). The mean (p = 0.01; ES = -2.0) and sum sRPE (p < 0.01; ES = -3.4) in the game-based OTC were also lower than that in the pre-tournament OTC. Conversely, the wellness scores in the game-based OTC were higher compared to the training-based (p = 0.01; ES = 1.8) and the pre-tournament OTCs (p < 0.01; ES = 1.6). There was a negative relationship between mean and sum sRPE and all wellness scores (mean sRPE = r = -0.441 ~ -0.575, p < 0.001; sum sRPE = r = -0.41 ~ -0.559, p < 0.001). Our findings suggested that responses to training sessions, derived from mean and sum sRPE and wellness scores, are dependent upon the task-specific nature of OTCs among elite futsal players. Utilization of mean and sum sRPE and wellness measures to monitor the psychophysiological health during short-term OTCs is recommended.

Changes in training patterns and confidence to return to sport in United States collegiate athletes during the COVID-19 pandemic

OBJECTIVE

To describe the training patterns, return to sport (RTS) confidence, and perceived fitness during the COVID-19 pandemic summer 2020 and to compare training patterns and RTS readiness during COVID-19 versus during the 2019 summer in a cohort of Division III collegiate athletes.

METHODS

An electronic survey of varsity athletes ≥18 years at three United States Division III colleges querying athlete demographics, Modified Athletic Identity Scale (mAIMS), changes in training regimen summer 2020 vs. 2019, RTS confidence, and perceived physical fitness.

RESULTS

One hundred and ninety-two surveys were completed (19% response). Total reported summer 2020 training decreased by 4 hours/week, with increased aerobic (56% vs. 53%, p = 0.03) and decreased sport-specific training (48% vs 70%, p < 0.001). Median RTS confidence score for formal training and competition was 3 ('neither more or less confident') in men's versus 2 ('less confident') in women's athletes. Median fitness self-assessment for men's athletes was 3 ('neither more nor less physically fit') compared to previous season versus median score of 2 ('less physically fit) among women's athletes (p = 0.004). For each mAIMS unit, training increased by 11 minutes/week (95% CI: 2-19 minutes; p = 0.01) and sport-specific training increased by 1.3% (95% CI: 0.5-2.2%; p = 0.003), controlling for age, sport, grade, and school. mAIMS was not associated with confidence or fitness rating.

CONCLUSION

Collegiate athletes decreased overall training hours, particularly sport-specific training time during the COVID-19 summer compared to the prior summer. Athletic identity was related to overall and sport-specific training hours but not confidence to RTS or fitness.

Monitoring and Behavior of Biomotor Skills in Futsal Athletes During a Season

Futsal is a sport that presents alternation of high and low intensity moments, which lacks investigations regarding the effects of the organization of the training load on biomotor skills. In this sense, this study aims to verify the monitoring of the training load throughout the season and the behavior of biomotor skills in futsal athletes. Twelve futsal athletes (24.5 ± 4.9 years, 1.79 ± 0.6 m, 72.4 ± 9.4 kg, and 9.4 ± 4.3% fat) from the adult category who competed in the first division of the Paulista championship participated in the study. Throughout the season the internal training load (ITL) was calculated, through the relationship between volume (minutes) and the rate of perceived exertion (RPE), monotony, and training strain. The training periods were divided into: preparatory, competitive and competitive II, for a total of four moments of evaluation: M1: at the beginning of the preparatory period; M2: 5th week, at the end of the preparatory period; M3: 13th week, in the middle of the competitive period; and M4: at the start of the competitive period II. The tests used were: (i) Power of lower limbs: counter movement jump (CMJ); (ii) Displacement speed, over the 10-meter distance (V10m); and (iii) Aerobic power, by the Carminatti test (T-CAR). The variables analyzed were compared at the different moments of evaluation, normally distributed variables (Volume, S-RPE, strain, and monotony) were analyzed using the ANOVA ONE-WAY variance test followed by the Tukey. Variables that did not show normality (lower limb power, speed, and aerobic power) were compared using the Friedman test followed by Dunn's multiple comparisons test and was presented by median and interquartile interval. The significance value adopted was p < 0.05. A significant improvement (p < 0.05) was observed in the power of lower limbs from M1 (37.5 ± 5.5 cm) to M3 (40.8 ± 5.7 cm), from M2 (38.9 ± 5.5 cm) to M3 (40.8 ± 5.7 cm), and from M1 (37.5 ± 5.5 cm) to M4 (40.2 ± 5.4 cm). Aerobic power showed a significant increase (p < 0.05) from M1 (12.1 ± 0.7 km/h) to M3 (12.7 ± 7 km/h) and from M1 (12.1 ± 0.7 km/h) to M4 (12.73 ± 1.04 km/h). The internal training load showed a difference between competitive I and II in relation to the preparatory period (p < 0.05). In conclusion, the proposed training organization was sufficient to improve the power of the lower limbs and the aerobic power.