Effects of task constraints on training workload in elite women’s soccer

Abstract

The purposes of this study were to identify which major constraints contribute to greater task workload and to determine distinctive training task profiles using an integrative approach during a regular season from a professional women’s soccer team. Twenty-seven elite soccer players from a team competing in the first Spanish women’s soccer league participated in this study. Data were obtained from 46 training sessions (112 training tasks) along five competitive months. Workload measures were collected using the SIATE integrative assessment tool and heart rate monitors during the team’s regular training routine. Results from cluster analysis effectively classified four types of training activities that caused a distinct physiological response from players. The most relevant constraints that increased the task workload were, in order of influence: interaction possibilities, opposition degree, simultaneous participation, game space, competitive workload and intensity. In turn, internal training load monitoring by heart rate seems to be worthless during technical-tactical soccer drills. These results provide coaches an easy, affordable and more informative tool to quantify the training workload. Whereas this information requires observational assessment tools to be obtained, these methods should be considered as a complement to wearables devices for training load control and monitoring in field sports.