Monitoring of overtraining and motivation in elite soccer players

Leonardo Henrique Silva Fagundes,Israel Teoldo Da Costa,Guilherme De Sousa Pinheiro,Cleiton Pereira Reis,Varley Teoldo Costa

doi:10.1590/s1980-65742021022221

Abstract

Aim: This study aimed to monitor the behavior of the overtraining and motivations dimensions, as well as to verify whether these dimensions correlate in the preparatory and competitive periods over the season. Methods: Professional soccer players (n = 32) answered the Stress and Recovery Questionnaire for Athletes (RESTQ-Sport 76) and the Sport Motivation Scale (SMS) during the preparatory and competitive periods. Results: Intrinsic amotivation and sport-specific recovery were lower in the competitive period than in the preparatory period. In the preseason, motivation presented a strong and negative correlation with overall recovery (p = 0.001; r = −0.75; r2 = 0.56) and sport-specific recovery (p = 0.001; r = −0.72; r2 = 0.52). The amotivation explained in 56% the variance of the results of the overall recovery and 52% of the sport-specific recovery. During the competitive phase, amotivation showed a strong and positive correlation with overall stress (p = 0.001; r = 0.70; r2 = 0.49) and sport-specific stress (p = 0.001; r = 0.79; r2 = 0.62). The amotivation accounted for 49% of the variance in the results of the overall stress and 62% of sport-specific stress in soccer players. Conclusion: There are associations between overtraining and motivation during the investigated periods. Through longitudinal monitoring in professional soccer, it was verified that the dimensions of amotivation, overall recovery, and sport-specific stress could be related to the prevention symptoms of overtraining in a professional soccer team.

Highlights

In soccer, the purpose of athletic planning is to appropriately manage the training load to optimize sports performance[1] through a process of planning, monitoring, and load adjustment
In relation to monitoring the behavior of the dimensions of overtraining and motivation in this study, it is observed that only two dimensions have had statistically significant changes in soccer players over the season
Only the sport-specific recovery dimension decreased in the competitive period to the detriment of the values presented in the preparatory period

Summary

Introduction

The purpose of athletic planning is to appropriately manage the training load to optimize sports performance[1] through a process of planning, monitoring, and load adjustment. Sports preparation is usually divided into two phases: the preparatory and competitive period. The second, competitive season refers to the time at which soccer teams compete during the year, maintaining training routines. This phase is characterized by different performance states of players due to the application of different training loads that affect the stress-recovery status of each player[4]. During the competitive season, it is important to achieve an adequate balance between training and recovery to ensure optimal physical preparation[5]

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Conclusion