Monitoring Workloads of a Professional Female Futsal Team over a Season: A Case Study

Preseason Workload in Collegiate Baseball Pitchers

Background

Upper extremity injuries are common in baseball spanning from youth through professional leagues, especially in preseason. Although there are some arbitrary guidelines for number of throws during practices and games, there is no current information on workload during preseason in baseball pitchers.

Hypothesis/Purpose

The purpose of this study was to quantify the number of throws and workload, as defined by angular velocity, during preseason training in a collegiate baseball season.

Study Design

Descriptive Epidemiology Study.

Methods

Nine baseball pitchers wore an inertial measurement unit on the forearm during all preseason training. Movements were captured at 100Hz and classified as a throw when the forearm velocity was greater than 800°/second. Peak angular velocity was exported for each throw and total workload was calculated as the median angular velocity multiplied by total throws for each day. Chronic workload was calculated as the rolling 28 days average workload and acute workload was calculated as the average seven-day workload. Acute to chronic workload ratio (ACWR) was calculated for each week. A repeated measures ANOVA with pairwise comparisons was used to compare throws, acute workload, and ACWR between weeks. Cohen's d effect sizes were calculated for all significant differences.

Results

The pitchers averaged 1990.6 ± 881.7 throws throughout preseason at an average angular velocity of 1686.2 ± 334.9 m/s. Acute workload was reduced in Week 4 compared to Week 2 (p=0.018, d=1.73) and week 3 (p=0.007, d =2.30). ACWR was above 1.27 on weeks 1,2,3, and 5. ACWR was significantly reduced in week 4 (0.79) compared to week 3 (1.50; p=0.021, d =0.71).

Conclusion

ACWR was above 1.27 for four of the six weeks of preseason, suggesting that there may be a need to reduce workload and progressively build during the preseason. Clinicians should consider monitoring workload during preseason throwing to decrease risk of chronic overuse injuries.

Level of Evidence

2c.

Research on women's futsal: a scoping review

The aim of this study was to conduct a comprehensive scoping literature review to provide an overview of the current state of research within women's futsal. We searched four electronic databases (SPORTDiscus, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science) up to December 2023. Inclusion criteria comprised original research published in peer-reviewed journals, available in English, Spanish, or Portuguese. The focus was on studies investigating women in futsal, encompassing both players and those in leadership positions, regardless of their age or skill level. The analysis included the authorship (location), population characteristics (number of participants, level of play, and age), themes explored, and primary findings. A total of 692 records were found, but only 175 met the selection criteria. The results highlighted a recent attention in the scientific literature, with the first publications emerging in 2005 and a notable increase since 2016. Strength and Conditioning topics constituted the most frequently explored area, comprising 32% of the studies. Notably, no studies focusing on coaching or management aspects were identified. In terms of the participant population, most studies concentrated on high-level (33%) and senior (84%) players. Few studies have investigated practitioners with disabilities or women in other positions such as coaches or managers. Most of the studies were conducted by Brazilian researchers (60%), indicating the need for investigations in different socio-cultural contexts. The recent academic attention and the upcoming inaugural edition of the FIFA Futsal Women's World CupTM in 2025 reinforce the need for further studies on women's futsal. This review contributes by identifying the scientific gaps that can be explored by future investigations.

The Association Between Menstrual Cycle Phase, Menstrual Irregularities, Contraceptive Use and Musculoskeletal Injury Among Female Athletes: A Scoping Review

BACKGROUND

The influence of menstrual cycle phases (MCPs), menstrual irregularities (MI) and hormonal contraceptive (HC) use on injury among female athletes has been scrutinised. Existing systematic reviews investigating the effect of exposures affecting the endogenous reproductive hormone status on sporting injuries are limited in terms of the types of studies included and injuries investigated.

OBJECTIVE

This scoping review aims to summarise the coverage of the literature related to the extent, nature and characteristics of the influence of MCP, MI and HC use on musculoskeletal injuries among athletes. It also aims to summarise key concepts and definitions in the relevant literature. Observational and experimental studies investigating the effect of MCP, MI, and HC on musculoskeletal injuries among female individuals of reproductive age were included. Studies specifically stating pregnant women, perimenopausal/postmenopausal athletes, or those using medication (other than HC) that affects reproductive hormone profiles or the musculoskeletal system were excluded.

METHODS

This scoping review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping reviews and JBI scoping review guidelines. Published and unpublished studies were sourced from several databases and resources. Initial keywords used included terms related to "menstrual cycle", "hormonal contraception" and "injury." Titles and abstracts of identified citations were screened independently and assessed for eligibility by two independent reviewers. Data from the included studies were extracted using a standard data extraction form.

RESULTS

The search yielded 10,696 articles, of which 96 met the eligibility criteria. Most studies investigated MI (77%), and 49% included MCP as a contributing injury risk factor. Publications have increased over the last two decades. Collectively, only 16% of research has been conducted in Africa, Asia and Oceania. There were no studies from South America. Seventy-five percent of the studies investigated individual versus team (25%) sport athletes. Most studies only investigated elite or professional (n = 24; 25%) level athletes. The definitions of injury, eumenorrhea and MI differ vastly among studies. Regarding MI, most studies (69%) investigated secondary amenorrhea, followed by oligomenorrhea (51%) and primary amenorrhea (43%). Concerning HC, the influence of oral contraceptive pills was mainly investigated.

CONCLUSIONS

Research related to MCP, MI and HC as contributing musculoskeletal injury risk factors is increasing; however, several gaps have been identified, including research from countries other than North America and Europe, the study population being non-professional/elite level athletes, athletes participating in team sports and specific injuries related to MCP, MI and HC, respectively. Differences in methodology and terminology of injury, MCP and MI hinder comparative summative research, and future research should consider current published guidelines during the study design. Identifying barriers to following standard guidelines or research investigating the most practical yet accurate methods to investigate the influence of MCP on musculoskeletal health might yield valuable insights for future research designs.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION

Scoping review registration number: Open Science Framework ( https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/5GWBV ).

Analysis of Sleep, Nocturnal Physiology, and Physical Demands of NCAA Women's Ice Hockey Across a Championship Season

ABSTRACT

Merrigan, JJ, Stone, JD, Kraemer, WJ, Friend, C, Lennon, K, Vatne, EA, and Hagen, JA. Analysis of sleep, nocturnal physiology, and physical demands of NCAA women's ice hockey across a championship season. J Strength Cond Res 38(4): 694-703, 2024-The aims of this study were to evaluate the (a) relationships between daily physical demands and nighttime sleep, heart rate (HR), and heart rate variability (HRV); (b) weekly changes in physical demands and sleep; and (c) differences among positions and between training and competition during a competitive season in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) women's ice hockey. Twenty-five NCAA Division I women's ice hockey athletes wore a sensor at night to monitor sleep quantity or quality (e.g., time asleep and sleep efficiency) and physiology (e.g., HR and HRV). During training and competitions (31 regular season and 7 postseason), athletes wore performance monitoring systems to assess workload demands (e.g., training impulse and TRIMP). As internal workload (TRIMP, Time >80% of HRmax, Average HR) during training or competition increased, nocturnal HRV decreased, HR increased, and Sleep Duration, Sleep Score, and Readiness Score decreased that night. Across the season, athletes experienced lower HRV, but exhibited longer sleep durations. Training Distance, Duration, Time >80% HRmax, Average HR, and TRIMP decreased, whereas competition Total Distance, Duration, and TRIMP increased across weeks throughout the season. There were differences across positions and season blocks when evaluating these data at the mesocycle level. Athletes slept longer before competition compared with training, but physiological data did not differ. Competitions had greater physiological demands than training. We speculate that the increased focus on sleep hygiene, as evidenced by the increase in sleep over the season, may have served as a recovery aid to combat physiological stress of accumulated demands of competitions that increased over time into postseason tournaments.

The Road to Becoming a World Champion in Futsal

PURPOSE

The aim of the current study was to report the training program and monitoring outcomes of the Portuguese national futsal team during the preparation and competition phases of the FIFA Futsal World Cup Lithuania 2021™. For that, the variations in training load and wellness were measured, as well as their relationship.

METHODS

The study followed a retrospective cohort design. For all field training sessions, the volume, exercise structure, and area of play were identified. Player load, session rating of perceived exertion (sRPE), and wellness were collected. Descriptive statistics and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used for comparison purposes. A visualization method was used for load and well-being.

RESULTS

No significant differences were observed in the number of training sessions, session duration, and player load between preparation and competitive periods. sRPE showed significantly higher values in preparation than in competition periods (P < .05, d = 0.86) and significant differences between weeks (P < .05, d = 1.08). Wellness showed a general statistical difference between periods (P < .001, d = 1.28) and weeks (P < .05, d = 1.17). The correlation analysis for the overall period revealed a general linear relationship within variables of training load and wellness (P < .001). Variations occurred for preparation and competition periods. The visualization method through quadrant plots allowed us to understand the adaptation of the team and the players over the specific period under analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

Through this study, it was possible to better understand the training program and monitoring strategies of a high-performance futsal team over a high-level tournament.

Intraindividual Relationships Between Training Loads and Heart-Rate Variability in High-Level Female Futsal Players: A Longitudinal Study

PURPOSE

To investigate the internal training loads of a professional Spanish female futsal team throughout 26 weeks of training including preseason and in-season weeks and verify the impact of training period and/or training load magnitudes on heart-rate variability responses. Furthermore, we aimed to assess, intraindividually, the relationship between training load and the coefficient of variation (CV) of weekly natural log of the root mean square difference of successive normal interbeat (RR) intervals (lnRMSSDCV), obtained from ∼5 measures per week, and recorded in the seated position.

METHODS

A within-subject design involved 12 high-level outfield female futsal players (mean [SD] age: 23.9 [3.4] y).

RESULTS

lnRMSSD was significantly lower and lnRMSSDCV was significantly higher during the preseason (weeks 1-6) compared to in-season (weeks 7-26) (P < .001). Individually, players presented moderate to large negative correlations between lnRMSSDCV and lnRMSSD during the 26 weeks of observation. Correlations ranged between rplayer4 = -.41 (95% CI, -.69 to -.02) and rplayer12 = -.55 (-.78 to -.18). Players also presented moderate to very large positive correlations between lnRMSSDCV and session rating of perceived exertion. Correlations ranged between rplayer7 = .41 (.04 to .71) and rplayer1 = .71 (.45 to .86).

CONCLUSION

Professional female futsal players in this study presented increased lnRMSSD and reduced lnRMSSDCV during 20 weeks into the competitive season compared to 6 weeks of preseason. Furthermore, lnRMSSDCV was negatively associated with lnRMSSD on an intraindividual basis. Finally, higher internal training loads were positively correlated with lnRMSSDCV, indicating that heart-rate variability is responsive to weekly training loads.

The Most Demanding Exercise in Different Training Tasks in Professional Female Futsal: A Mid-Season Study through Principal Component Analysis

The contextual factors related to training tasks can play an important role in how a player performs and, subsequently, in how a player trains to face a competition. To date, there has been no study that has investigated the most demanding exercise in different training tasks in female futsal. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the most demanding efforts during different training tasks in a cohort study conducted in professional biological women futsal players using principal component analysis (PCA). A total of 14 elite women futsal players (age = 24.34 ± 4.51 years; height = 1.65 ± 0.60 m; body mass = 63.20 ± 5.65 kg) participated in this study. Seventy training sessions of an elite professional women’s team were registered over five months (pre-season and in-season). Different types of exercises were grouped into six clusters: preventive exercises; analytical situations; exercises in midcourt; exercises in ¾ of the court; exercises in full court; superiorities/inferiorities. Each exercise cluster was composed of 5–7 principal components (PCs), considering from 1 to 5 main variables forming each, explaining from 65 to 75% of the physical total variance. A total of 13–19 sub-variables explained the players’ efforts in each training task group. The first PCs to explain the total variance of training load were as follows: preventive exercises (accelerations; ~31%); analytical situations (impacts; ~23%); exercises in midcourt (high-intensity efforts; ~28%); exercises in ¾ of the court (~27%) and superiorities/inferiorities (~26%) (aerobic/anaerobic components); exercises in full court (anaerobic efforts; ~24%). The PCs extracted from each exercise cluster provide evidence that may assist researchers and coaches during training load monitoring. The descriptive values of the training load support a scientific base to assist coaches in the planning of training schedules.

Internal Load of Female Varsity Ice Hockey Players During Training and Games During a Season

This study quantified internal load, using sessional rating of perceived exertion (sRPE) and heart-rate derived training impulse (TRIMP), of female varsity ice hockey players throughout a season. Twenty-four female (19.8±1.4 yr, 68.0±6.9 kg) varsity ice hockey players participated in this prospective cohort study. Internal load was captured using sRPE and TRIMP for each on-ice session. Internal load was significantly higher (p<0.05) for games (sRPE: 324±202 AU, TRIMP: 95±60 AU) compared to training (sRPE: 248±120 AU, TRIMP: 68±32 AU). Overall, goalies had a higher internal load than forwards (sRPE and TRIMP) and defence (TRIMP), with no differences between forwards and defence. Micro-cycle periodization was present, with training sessions several days prior to game days having the highest internal load (sRPE and TRIMP) and tapering down as subsequent training sessions approached game day. For the meso-cycle assessment, for both training and competition combined, the post-season sRPE was greater than the pre-season (p=0.002) and regular season (p<0.001). Lastly, the association between sRPE and TRIMP, revealed a large, statistically significant relationship (r=0.592, p<0.001). Internal load was greater during competitions, training sessions and subsequent internal loads suggested prioritization around game days, the post-season phase demanded the highest internal load and there was a strong correlation between sRPE and TRIMP.

Training Load Monitoring Considerations for Female Gaelic Team Sports: From Theory to Practice

Athlete monitoring enables sports science practitioners to collect information to determine how athletes respond to training loads (TL) and the demands of competition. To date, recommendations for females are often adapted from their male counterparts. There is currently limited information available on TL monitoring in female Gaelic team sports in Ireland. The collection and analysis of female athlete monitoring data can provide valuable information to support the development of female team sports. Athletic monitoring can also support practitioners to help minimize risk of excessive TL and optimize potential athletic performance. The aims of this narrative review are to provide: (i) an overview of TL athlete monitoring in female team sports, (ii) a discussion of the potential metrics and tools used to monitor external TL and internal TL, (iii) the advantages and disadvantages of TL modalities for use in Gaelic team sports, and (iv) practical considerations on how to monitor TL to aid in the determination of meaningful change with female Gaelic team sports athletes.

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.