Abstract
We aimed to examine the effects of mental fatigue on the Yo-Yo test and Loughborough soccer passing and shooting tests performance using a meta-analysis. The search for studies was performed through eight bibliographic databases (Academic Search Elite, AUSPORT, Cochrane Library, PsycInfo, PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, SPORTDiscus, and Web of Science). The methodological quality of the included studies was assessed using the PEDro checklist. A random-effects meta-analysis was performed for data analysis. After reviewing 599 search results, seven studies with a total of ten groups were included in the review. All studies were classified as being of good methodological quality. Mental fatigue reduced the distance covered in the Yo-Yo test (Cohen’s d: −0.49; 95% confidence interval [CI]: −0.66, −0.32). In the Loughborough soccer passing test, mental fatigue increased the original time needed to complete the test (Cohen’s d: −0.24; 95% CI: −0.46, −0.03), increased penalty time (Cohen’s d: −0.39; 95% CI: −0.46, −0.31), and decreased performance time (Cohen’s d: −0.52; 95% CI: −0.80, −0.24). In the Loughborough soccer shooting test, mental fatigue decreased points per shot (Cohen’s d: −0.37; 95% CI: −0.70, −0.04) and shot speed (Cohen’s d: −0.35; 95% CI: −0.64, −0.06). Overall, the findings presented in this review demonstrated that mental fatigue negatively impacts endurance-based running performance as well as soccer passing and shooting skills.
Highlights
Mental fatigue is commonly defined as “a psychobiological state caused by prolonged exertion that has the potential to reduce cognitive performance and exercise performance” [1]
In line with our hypothesis, we found that mental fatigue has a negative effect on some aspects of physical and technical exercise performance
Mental fatigue decreased points per shot and shot speed in the Loughborough soccer shooting test. These findings demonstrated that mental fatigue negatively impacts endurance-based running performance as well as soccer passing and shooting skills
Summary
Mental fatigue is commonly defined as “a psychobiological state caused by prolonged exertion that has the potential to reduce cognitive performance and exercise performance” [1]. Researchers have explored the effects of mental fatigue on performance in various modes of exercise [1]. In soccer, studies have explored the effects of mental fatigue on performance in the Yo-Yo test, Loughborough soccer passing test, and Loughborough soccer shooting test [4,5,6,7,8,9,10]. The Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test is a popular test used to evaluate performance in interval running [11,12,13]. This test determines an individual’s capacity to undertake, repeatedly perform, and recover from high-intensity running [11,12,13]
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