Effect of Mindfulness Training on Fatigue and Recovery in Elite Volleyball Athletes: A Randomized Controlled Follow-Up Study

Abstract

Volleyball is a team sport with high physical and perceptual-cognitive demand, hence, increasing the perception of physical and mental fatigue during a competition. To alleviate fatigue (physical and mental), mindfulness and music have been proposed. The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of mindfulness-based mental versus music training on mental fatigue, physical fatigue, and recovery in elite competitive female volleyball athletes using a randomized two-controlled study with follow-up. Participants were 30 elite female Brazilian volleyball athletes. Athletes were randomly assigned to the following groups: 1) mindfulness-based mental training group (MBMT); 2) music-based training group (MBT); or 3) control group (CG). Three variables were evaluated as follows: 1) recovery based on total quality recovery; 2) mental fatigue visual analog scale; and 3) physical fatigue visual analog scale. Regarding recovery, there was no difference between the MBMT, MBT, and CG groups (p > 0.05). A difference in mental fatigue was noted between MBT and CG at follow-up [F(2,26) = 5.71, p = 0.009; large]. Regarding physical fatigue, there was no difference between the MBMT, MBT, and CG groups (p > 0.05). The mindfulness intervention effectively attenuated the mental fatigue caused by competition in volleyball athletes. These results will assist coaches and staff in providing fatigue management and reinforce the applicability of mental training in sports.

Mental Fatigue and Basketball Performance: A Systematic Review

“…Mindfulness has been used in many sports to reduce mental stress. Reis Coimbra et al ( 2021 ) proved that mindfulness interventions effectively attenuated MF in volleyball athletes.…”

Mindfulness-Based Interventions for the Recovery of Mental Fatigue: A Systematic Review

“…The 8 studies have 476 subjects, ranging from 14 [40] to 110 [36] participants, and the mean sample size was 59.5 participants (SD = 32.2); (2) Gender. Five studies investigated males and females [16,[35][36][37][38], but two studies just focused on males [39,40], and one just focused on females [41];…”

“…One article has an experimental group with four-week mindfulness [38], but participants in the other groups did not have mindfulness experience. Two articles did not report the background of mindfulness training [35,41].…”

“…Axelsen et al used the AX continuous performance test (AX-CPT) to induce MF [38]. Coimbra et al asked participants in the experimental group to play in a volleyball competition to induce MF [41]. Regarding the duration of intervention, most studies ranged from 6 min to 15 min.…”

Effects of Impulsivity on Competitive Anxiety in Female Athletes: The Mediating Role of Mindfulness Trait

“…Specifically, these programs can be effective in reducing precompetitive anxiety [ 59 ], and women athletes, in comparison to men, report higher levels of mindfulness [ 60 ]. Nowadays, studies stress the importance of mindfulness programs in elite female athletes in both team sports [ 61 ] and individual sports [ 59 , 62 ].…”