Abstract

This study examined the associations between pre-game wellness and changes in match running performance normalised to either (i) playing time, (ii) post-match RPE or (iii both playing time and post-match RPE, over the course of a field hockey tournament. Twelve male hockey players were equipped with global positioning system (GPS) units while competing in an international tournament (six matches over 9 days). The following GPS-derived variables, total distance (TD), low-intensity activity (LIA; < 15 km/h), high-intensity running (HIR; > 15 km/h), high-intensity accelerations (HIACC; > 2 m/s 2 ) and decelerations (HIDEC; > −2 m/s 2 ) were acquired and normalised to either (i) playing time, (ii) post-match RPE or (iii both playing time and post-match RPE. Each morning, players completed ratings on a 0–10 scale for four variables: fatigue, muscle soreness, mood state and sleep quality, with cumulative scores determined as wellness. Associations between match performances and wellness were analysed using Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Combined time and RPE normalisation demonstrated the largest associations with Δwellness compared with time or RPE alone for most variables; TD (r = −0.95; −1.00 to −0.82, p =.004), HIR (r = −0.95; −1.00 to −0.83, p =.003 LIA (r = −0.94; −1.00 to −0.81, p =.026), HIACC (r = −0.87; −1.00 to −0.66, p =.004) and HIDEC (r = −0.90; −0.99 to −0.74, p =.008). These findings support the use of wellness measures as a pre-match tool to assist with managing internal load over the course of a fie ld hockey tournament. Highlights Fixtures during international field hockey tournaments are typically congested and impose high physiological demands on an athlete. To minimise decrements in running performance over the course of a tournament, measures to identify players who have sustained high internal loads are logically warranted. The present study examined the association between changes in simple customised psychometric wellness measures, on changes in match running performance normalised to (i) playing time, (ii) post-match RPE and (iii) playing time and post-match RPE, over the course of a field hockey tournament. Changes in match running performance were better associated to changes in wellness (r = −0.87 to −0.95), when running performances were normalised to both time and RPE compared with time or RPE alone. The present findings support the use of wellness measures as a pre-match tool to assist with managing internal load over the course of a field hockey tournament. Improved associations between wellness scores and match running performances were evident, when running variables were normalised to both playing time and post-match RPE.