High Match Load's Relation to Decreased Well-Being During an Elite Women's Rugby Sevens Tournament.

Doeven, Steven H.; Brink, Michel S.; Huijgen, Barbara C. H.; de Jong, Johan; Lemmink, Koen A. P. M.

During rugby sevens tournaments, it is crucial to balance match load and recovery to strive for optimal performance. Purpose: To determine changes in well-being, recovery, and neuromuscular performance during and after an elite women's rugby sevens tournament and assess the influence of match-load indicators. Methods: Twelve elite women rugby sevens players (age = 25.3 [4.1] y, height = 169.0 [4.0] cm, weight = 63.9 [4.9] kg, and body fat= 18.6% [2.7%]) performed 5 matches during a 2-d tournament of the Women's Rugby Sevens World Series. Perceived well-being (fatigue, sleep quality, general muscle soreness, stress levels, and mood), total quality of recovery, and countermovement-jump flight time were measured on match days 1 and 2,1 d posttoumament, and 2 d posttoumament. Total distance; low-, moderate-, and high-intensity running; and physical contacts during matches were derived from global positioning system-based time-motion analysis and video-based notational analysis, respectively. Internal match load was calculated by session rating ol perceived exertion and playing time (rating of perceived exertion x duration). Results: Well-being (P < .001), fatigue (P < .001), general muscle soreness (P < .(X) 1), stress levels (P < .001), mood (P = .005), and total quality of recovery (Pc.001) were significantly impaired after match day 1 and did not return to baseline values until 2 d posttoumament. More high-intensity running was related to more fatigue (r = -.60, P = .049) and a larger number of physical contacts with more general muscle soreness (r = -.69, P=.013). Conclusion: Perceived well-being and total quality of recovery were already impaired after match day 1, although performance was maintained. High-intensity running and physical contacts were predominantly related to fatigue and general muscle soreness, respectively.

ADIPOSE tissues; AFFECT (Psychology); ATHLETIC ability; BODY weight; EXERCISE; GLOBAL Positioning System; JUMPING; MYALGIA; NEUROPHYSIOLOGY; RUGBY football; RUNNING; SLEEP; STATURE; PHYSIOLOGICAL stress; WOMEN athletes; PSYCHOSOCIAL factors; WELL-being; COOLDOWN; ELITE athletes; MOTION capture (Human mechanics); WEIGHT-bearing (Orthopedics); MUSCLE fatigue; HIGH-intensity interval training

International Journal of Sports Physiology & Performance, 2019, Vol 14, Issue 8, p1036

1555-0265

Academic Journal

10.1123/ijspp.2018-0516