The Effect of Stress and Recovery on Field-test Performance in Floorball

Int J Sports Med. 2015 Jun;36(6):460-5. doi: 10.1055/s-0034-1398581. Epub 2015 Mar 3.

Abstract

Physical and psychosocial stress and recovery are important performance determinants. A holistic approach that monitors these performance determinants over a longer period of time is lacking. Therefore this study aims to investigate the effect of a player's physical and psychosocial stress and recovery on field-test performance. In a prospective non-experimental cohort design 10 female Dutch floorball players were monitored over 6 months. To monitor physical and psychosocial stress and recovery, daily training-logs and 3-weekly the Recovery-Stress Questionnaire for Athletes (RESTQ-Sport) were filled out respectively. To determine field-test performance 6 Heart rate Interval Monitoring System (HIMS) and 4 Repeated Modified Agility T-test (RMAT) measurements were performed. Multilevel prediction models were applied to account for within-players and between-players field-test performance changes. The results show that more psychosocial stress and less psychosocial recovery over 3-6 weeks before testing decrease HIMS performance (p≤0.05). More physical stress over 6 weeks before testing improves RMAT performance (p≤0.05). In conclusion, physical and psychosocial stress and recovery affect submaximal interval-based running performance and agility up to 6 weeks before testing. Therefore both physical and psychosocial stress and recovery should be monitored in daily routines to optimize performance.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Athletic Performance / physiology*
  • Athletic Performance / psychology*
  • Exercise Test
  • Female
  • Heart Rate
  • Humans
  • Motor Skills / physiology
  • Prospective Studies
  • Sports / physiology*
  • Stress, Physiological*
  • Stress, Psychological / physiopathology*
  • Young Adult