Ecological validity of self-reported wellness measures to assess pre-training and pre-competition preparedness within elite Gaelic football
Cullen, Bryan, McCarren, AndrewORCID: 0000-0002-7297-0984 and Malone, Shane
(2020)
Ecological validity of self-reported wellness measures to assess pre-training and pre-competition preparedness within elite Gaelic football.
Sport Sciences for Health, 17
.
pp. 163-172.
ISSN 1824-7490
The current investigation aimed to examine the ecological validity of self-reported wellness questionnaires, and specifically
‘Readiness to Train’ (RTT) as an indicator of pre-training and pre-competition preparedness within elite Gaelic football
players. Thirty-seven (n = 37) elite male Gaelic football players (age 26 ± 4; height 181 ± 15 cm, weight 86 ± 4 kg) were
recruited for the current study which took place during the 2017 competition season. Participants were monitored using
global positioning system technology (GPS; 10-Hz; STATSports Viper Pod; STATSports; Newry, UK) and a self-reported
questionnaire (Metrifit, Health, and Sport technologies, Ireland) to provide measures of internal load (RPE; sRPE) external
load (GPS variables) and wellness questionnaire (Likert scale: 1–5 response) response to training loads. Results showed that
irrespective of the model that the percentage RTT prior to training or match-play was not associated with and running performance measures. Activity type (p ≤ 0.0001), muscle soreness (p ≤ 0.0001), sleep quality (p ≤ 0.0001), and sleep duration
(p ≤ 0.0001) all effected subsequent running performance during training and match-play. Furthermore, post hoc analysis
showed that specific GPS variables and accumulated training load across specific time durations impacted RPE and total
internal training load. Our results indicate that RTT is a poor measure of pre-training and competition preparedness, with
individual sub-scales of wellness more appropriate to measure preparedness within Gaelic football players. Practitioners
should pay close attention to fluctuations in sleep quality, sleep duration, and muscle soreness when planning training loads.
Also, accumulated training loads impact players running capacity and perception of RPE highlighting the importance of
longitudinally planning within the Gaelic football training process.
Item Type:
Article (Published)
Refereed:
Yes
Uncontrolled Keywords:
Gaelic Football; GPS; Self-reporting questionnaires; Training load monitoring; Teamsports