Effects of Playing Position and Contextual Factors on Internal Match Loads, Post-Match Recovery and Well-Being Responses of Elite Male Water Polo Players

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the effects of playing position and contextual factors (match outcome, final score difference, match location, travel duration, number of scored and conceded goals) on the internal match load, players’ perceived recovery and players’ well-being. The session-RPE (s-RPE), Perceived Recovery Scale (PRS) and Hooper Index (HI) of 17 male elite water polo players were monitored during all matches (regular season and play-out) of the 2021/22 Italian Serie A1 championship. Three separate, mixed linear models for repeated measures showed significant main effects: drawn compared to won matches led to higher s-RPE values (mean ± SE = 277 ± 17.6 vs. 237.3 ± 20.6), while longer travel duration (estimate = −0.148) and goals scored (estimate = −3.598) led to lower s-RPE values; balanced compared to unbalanced matches led to higher PRS values (mean ± SE = 6.8 ± 0.3 vs. 5.1 ± 0.4), while playing time (estimate = −0.041) and goals scored (estimate = −0.180) led to lower PRS values; higher scores of the HI were registered for regular season compared to the play-out (mean ± SE = 15.6 ± 0.9 vs. 13.5 ± 0.8). This study marks the importance of ecological and non-invasive monitoring tools to assess internal match load, recovery and the well-being of elite water polo players.

Case study of IMU loads and self-reported fatigue monitoring of water polo goalkeepers preparing for the Olympic games

“…The fact that ratings of perceived exertion remained unchanged across session types despite external load metrics decreasing could reflect the difference in cognitive load experienced during high-stakes competitions vs. training ( 13 ). Indeed, multiple factors are involved in the pathway from external load applied to internal load perceived, acting as a complex system where individual parameters and IMU metrics are influenced by many contextual variables, including the outcome of a competition ( 36 , 37 ). Altogether, these can impose fatigue that is not only physical, but also mental and emotional ( 38 ).…”

Assessment of the Offensive Play in Elite Water Polo Using the Team Sport Assessment Procedure (TSAP) over an Entire Competitive Season

“…The highest values for the VP and PS indexes shown by perimetral players could be affected by the number of minutes of play. In our analysis, the playing time covariate could have influenced the differences registered between the playing positions considering the higher amount of minutes of play per match [ 1 , 50 ], as well as the larger involvement in offensive phases during play registered by the perimetral players compared to that of the center positions (i.e., CD and CF) [ 8 ]. Consequently, the perimetral players’ performances could have explained the highest values of the VP and PS for this playing position.…”

“…All matches were classified according to the following contextual factors: (a) season phase, based on the Italian water polo First League, which divided the 2021/22 championship schedule into regular season and play-out and play-off phases; (b) match location (home or away); (c) final score difference, which is defined as the difference of goals scored between the two teams in a match (balanced = ≤3 goals or unbalanced = >3 goals) [ 15 ]; and (d) playing time, which is defined as the player’s total minutes of play (including stoppages and interruptions during play) in each official match [ 1 ].…”

“…Water polo is an intermittent, high-intensity and body-contact aquatic team sport [ 1 ] played by two teams of seven players (one goalkeeper and six field players) with the object to score points by throwing the ball into the opponent team’s goal [ 2 ].…”

“…The last decade has seen an increase in interest for research lines related to time motion and notational analyses [ 3 ], even though a body of water polo literature has long been focused on players’ physiological [ 4 ], anthropometric [ 5 ] and swimming profiles [ 6 ], as well as on training and match loads monitoring [ 1 , 7 ]. Specifically, the analysis of team differences in technical and tactical parameters in relation to various competitive levels has been conducted using a notational analysis approach [ 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 ].…”