Neuromuscular and Perceptual Fatigue Responses to Consecutive Tag Football Matches

Abstract

Perceptual fatigue accumulates over consecutive tag football matches, although there were only marginal increases in neuromuscular fatigue. However, both neuromuscular and perceptual fatigue measures were found to contribute to reduced match running performance in the final match.

Understanding the Fatigue-Recovery Cycle in Team Sport Athletes

“…Team sport athletes competing in contact sports such as rugby football can show severe reductions in both upper-and lower-body neuromuscular function following match-play suggested to be caused by reductions in contraction velocity associated with increased muscle damage [12][13][14]. Other studies examining neuromuscular fatigue in low or non-contact team sports have questioned the sensitivity of jumping-derived measures [1,15]. However, the degree of jump performance decrement has been associated with match activities such as maximal decelerations that likely cause exercise-induced muscle damage and increases in general muscle soreness in these sports [1].…”

“…Other studies examining neuromuscular fatigue in low or non-contact team sports have questioned the sensitivity of jumping-derived measures [1,15]. However, the degree of jump performance decrement has been associated with match activities such as maximal decelerations that likely cause exercise-induced muscle damage and increases in general muscle soreness in these sports [1]. Further, decreased jump performance has been associated with reduced physical and technical performance during subsequent matchplay suggesting that jump-derived measures provide a valid assessment of neuromuscular fatigue for team sport athletes [1,16,17].…”

“…Increases in perceptual fatigue are suggested to alter an athlete's sense of effort and force them to down-regulate their exercise capacity [19]. Indeed, players with low perceptual well-being prior to tournament competition regulate their high-intensity activity in the earlier matches perhaps to better maintain performance during the latter stages of the tournament where finals matches are typically played [1]. Therefore, assessing perceptual fatigue prior to and following competition may be useful to avoid performance decrements during subsequent matches and training activities.…”

“…There are a number of questionnaires that have been used in the literature such as the POMS, RESTQ-Sport and DALDA questionnaires [8,18]. Studies have shown alterations in perceptual fatigue to be more sensitive to tournament competition than jumpderived measures of neuromuscular fatigue [1] and perceived fatigue and muscle soreness are known to outlast suppressed neuromuscular function and biochemical markers following rugby league matches [14]. Increases in perceptual fatigue are suggested to alter an athlete's sense of effort and force them to down-regulate their exercise capacity [19].…”

“…Importantly though, the tests employed must be valid, reliable and practically convenient in applied settings. Investigators have commonly assessed fatigue measures during tournament competition [1][2][3] or over subsequent days following competitive matches [4][5][6] in an attempt to identify the time course of the fatigue-recovery cycle. This provides an understanding of how an athlete recovers from competition and guides training loads and recovery practices when athletes may be most vulnerable to nonfunctional overreaching and injury.…”