TY - JOUR
T1 - Changes in perceptions of mental fatigue during a season in professional under-23 English Premier League soccer players
AU - Abbott, Will
AU - Brownlee, Thomas E.
AU - Naughton, Robert
AU - Clifford, Thomas
AU - Page, Richard
AU - Harper, Liam
PY - 2020/10/1
Y1 - 2020/10/1
N2 - The present study assessed changes in academy soccer players’ perception of mental fatigue (MF) across a competitive season, investigating the relationship between MF and other subjective measures of wellness. Ten players completed a modified Brief Assessment of Mood (BAM+) questionnaire that included the question: ‘How mentally fatigued do you feel’? on match-day (MD) and one (MD+1), two (MD+2) and three (MD+3) days post-match (35 matches). Players reported their MF, along with other subjective measures (sleep, muscle soreness, fatigue and motivation). Results found MF was elevated on MD+1 (43±1 mm) compared to all other days (all P≤0.001). Players reported lower MF on MD+1 in the late-season phase (34±2 mm) compared to both early- (50±2 mm, P≤0.001) and mid-season (46±2 mm, P≤0.001). This coincided with an 80%-win rate in the late-season phase versus the early- (33%) and mid-season (50%). There were very strong repeated-measures correlations between changes in MF and sleep (r=-0.77), muscle soreness (r=0.94), fatigue (r=0.92) and motivation (r =-0.89; all P≤0.0005). In conclusion, MF was closely aligned to match success and other wellness variables. This data suggests a potential lack of sensitivity for identifying MF using a subjective questionnaire. Therefore, researchers and practitioners could work together to identify other ways of practically assessing MF.
AB - The present study assessed changes in academy soccer players’ perception of mental fatigue (MF) across a competitive season, investigating the relationship between MF and other subjective measures of wellness. Ten players completed a modified Brief Assessment of Mood (BAM+) questionnaire that included the question: ‘How mentally fatigued do you feel’? on match-day (MD) and one (MD+1), two (MD+2) and three (MD+3) days post-match (35 matches). Players reported their MF, along with other subjective measures (sleep, muscle soreness, fatigue and motivation). Results found MF was elevated on MD+1 (43±1 mm) compared to all other days (all P≤0.001). Players reported lower MF on MD+1 in the late-season phase (34±2 mm) compared to both early- (50±2 mm, P≤0.001) and mid-season (46±2 mm, P≤0.001). This coincided with an 80%-win rate in the late-season phase versus the early- (33%) and mid-season (50%). There were very strong repeated-measures correlations between changes in MF and sleep (r=-0.77), muscle soreness (r=0.94), fatigue (r=0.92) and motivation (r =-0.89; all P≤0.0005). In conclusion, MF was closely aligned to match success and other wellness variables. This data suggests a potential lack of sensitivity for identifying MF using a subjective questionnaire. Therefore, researchers and practitioners could work together to identify other ways of practically assessing MF.
KW - Football
KW - Monitoring
KW - Recovery
KW - Cognition
KW - Affect
KW - Visual analogue scale
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85087523108&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/15438627.2020.1784176
DO - 10.1080/15438627.2020.1784176
M3 - Article
VL - 28
SP - 529
EP - 539
JO - Sports Medicine, Training and Rehabilitation
JF - Sports Medicine, Training and Rehabilitation
SN - 1543-8627
IS - 4
ER -