Abstract
Aim: The use of external and internal load is an important aspect of monitoring systems in team sport. The aim of this study was to validate a novel measure of training load by quantifying the training-performance relationship of elite Australian footballers.Methods: The primary training measure of each of 36 players was weekly load derived from a weighted combination of Global Positioning System (GPS) data and perceived wellness over a 24-week season. Smoothed loads representing an exponentially weighted rolling average were derived with decay time constants of 1.5, 2, 3, and 4 weeks. Differential loads representing rate of change in load were generated in similar fashion. Other derived measures of training included monotony, strain and acute:chronic ratio. Performance was a proprietary score derived from match performance indicators. Effects of a 1 SD within-player change below and above the mean of each training measure were quantified with a quadratic mixed model for each position (defenders, forwards, midfielders, and rucks). Effects were interpreted using standardization and magnitude-based inferences.Results: Performance was generally highest near the mean or ~1 SD below the mean of each training measure, and 1 SD increases in the following measures produced small impairments: weekly load (defenders, forwards, and midfielders); 1.5-week smoothed load (midfielders); 4-week differential load (defenders, forwards, and midfielders); and acute:chronic ratio (defenders and forwards). Effects of other measures in other positions were either trivial or unclear.Conclusion: The innovative combination of load was sensitive to performance in this elite Australian football cohort. Periods of high acute load and sustained increases in load impaired match performance. Positional differences should be taken into account for individual training prescription.
Highlights
Monitoring training is crucial in identifying an athlete’s adaptation to a training program and readiness to train/compete, as well as minimizing the risk of non-functional overreaching, injury and illness (Halson, 2014)
Recommendations for training are based on the magnitude of the effect of low or high changes (±1 standard deviation (SD)) in training on match performance (Table 2)
The main findings of this study are: (1) a combination of external and internal load was sensitive to changes in performance in this Australian football cohort; (2) performance was typically highest when training measures were at the mean or 1 SD below; (3) Performance was substantially reduced when weekly load, 1.5-week smoothed and 4-week differential were above the mean; (4) the effects of monotony and strain were mainly trivial; and (5) acute:chronic ratio can be used as a performance monitoring tool for team sport athletes
Summary
Monitoring training is crucial in identifying an athlete’s adaptation to a training program and readiness to train/compete, as well as minimizing the risk of non-functional overreaching, injury and illness (Halson, 2014). Training load measures have commonly been used to describe injury risk in team sports (Anderson et al, 2003; Rogalski et al, 2013), a paucity of research exists examining the training-performance relationship. Monitoring of training in sport typically involves multiple measures derived from both internal (Banister et al, 1986; Foster et al, 2001) and external load (Farrow et al, 2008; Boyd et al, 2013), and this can cause a complicated decision making matrix. In a team sport environment, individual clubs tailor their monitoring systems to suit the emphasis of their training program. The relationship between match performance and a global training load measure in team sport is currently unknown
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