[Sport] Understanding mental fatigue and mental recovery in sport

[Angel of Death]

We are inundated with information on physical fatigue, what it is, how we measure it and how we can recover. But what about mental fatigue and how we recover from that? We are starting to understand the impact that mental fatigue can have on physical performance but how can we manage it? How can we recover from it to maximise performance in a subsequent match or training session? We spoke to Suzy Russell, a researcher at Australian Catholic University and asked her 6 important questions on this.

Over the last few years, we have seen a growing body of evidence that builds upon foundational work examining the impact of mental fatigue on physical performance [1]. Recent investigations have begun to inform us about the impacts on technical, tactical, psychomotor and psychological aspects of performance.

Physically, we see decreased time to exhaustion, reduced power output and cadence during cycling time trial performance; increased completion time for 3 km and 5 km running trials, and across swimming distances [1]. An average of 16 ± 5% less distance covered on the field-based Yo-Yo IRT1 test provides a relatable example of the impact mental fatigue can have [2]. We have also seen increased session rating of perceived exertion (RPE) and lower self-selected volume completed during resistance training.

Generally, the physical research demonstrates a negative impact on endurance tasks. The impact on a short isolated maximal anaerobic effort appears to be negligible.

Impairments in technical skills include number of errors, number of tackles and percentage of successful tackles in soccer [3]; free throws, three point shots and turnovers in basketball [4]; and decision making in volleyball [5]. These critical skill examples are supplemented by a negative impact on sport specific psychomotor performance including decision making, reaction time and accuracy [6].

The body of evidence informing potential changes in tactical performance is yet to emerge. However, available information indicates impairments in tactical behaviours and compensatory physical demands during small sided games [7]. Having said that, we have only just scratched the surface. There is plenty more to explore, quantify and understand.

Link: https://www.sportsmith.co/articles/understanding-mental-fatigue-and-mental-recovery-in-sport/