The effects of fatigue on decision-making and technical skill performance in water polo players

A s y s t e m s model of training responses and its relationship to repeated-sprint p e r f o r m a n c e D. Bishop*,& H. Edge. School Of HumanMovementAnd ExerciseScience Systems theory proposes that an athlete can be represented by a system where the output (performance) is the difference between fitness and fatigue and their reaction to the input (training). While a number of studies have reported a good fit of predicted to actual performance for continuous exercise, this is the first study to investigate the validity of this model for repeated-sprint exercise. A systems model, providing an estimation of fatigue and fitness levels, was applied to an 8-wk training period of 10 untrained females. The model parameters were individually determined by fitting the predicted performance (calculated as the difference between fitness and fatigue) to the repeated-sprint performance (measured each week). Correlation coefficients between dependent variables were calculated using pearson's product moment (r). The fit between modelled and actual performance was significant for 6 out of the 10 subjects (r=0.61 - 1.00). Mean (! sern) for the decay constants for fitness and fatigue were 54.8 _+ 9.4 and 11.8 _+ 5.0 days respectively. There were no significant correlations between changes in VO2pe~kor LT and changes in modelled performance, fatigue or fitness. These results suggest that a systems model can describe the relationship between training and repeated-sprint performance in untrained females. However, the relationship between predicted and actual performance does not appear to be as strong as that previously reported for continuous exercise.

The Effects of Fatigue on Decision-Making and T e c h n i c a l Skill P e r f o r m a n c e in W a t e r Polo Players K. Royal~*,D. Farrow~,1.Mujika2,S. Halson2,& D. Pyne2. 'Skill Acquisition,Athleteand CoachServices,AustralianInstituteof Sport ~Departmentof Physiology,Athleteand CoachServices,Australianinstituteof Sport This study investigated the effect of fatigue on decision-making and technical skill proficiency in water polo. Twelve junior elite male players (aged 17.2yrs + 0.5; body weight 84.16kg + 7.68) at the Australian Institute of Sport were randomly assigned to either a decision-making (DM) or technical skill (TS) proficiency test condition, with the alternative test condition completed on the same day and time in the following week. Each testing session required participants to complete four sets of an incrementally fatiguing intervention, which utilised progressively declining rest ratios, designed to reflect the demands of a water polo game. Each of the four work sets consisted of eight repetitions of a ~ 20 s water polo specific drill conducted at maximum effort inside a 5 x 5m square. Between each set a video-based temporally occluded DM task (verbalised response to various tactical situations) or TS proficiency test (qualitative and quantitative analysis of goal shooting) was performed. Heart rat.~e (HR), rate of perceived exertion (RPE), and blood lactate (BLa) concentration were recorded after each set. HR and RPE were found to increase as the demands of the four exercise sets increased. Peak blood lactate concentrations ranged from 2.1 mmol.l-1 at rest to 13.1 mmol.l-1 following the final work bout. Results also revealed that incremental increases in fatigue differentially influenced decision-making, technical skill performance, and accuracy and power of a goal-shot.

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