How Mentally Fatiguing Are Consecutive World Padel Tour Matches?
It is currently unknown whether mental fatigue occurs throughout a WPT competition and whether consecutive matches affect how mentally fatiguing a match is perceived to be. The objective was to quantify the effects of successive professional matches on mental fatigue. A total of 14 professional play...
Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
MDPI AG
2021-08-01
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Series: | International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health |
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/17/9059 |
Summary: | It is currently unknown whether mental fatigue occurs throughout a WPT competition and whether consecutive matches affect how mentally fatiguing a match is perceived to be. The objective was to quantify the effects of successive professional matches on mental fatigue. A total of 14 professional players (9 males, Mage = 25, 5 females, Mage = 21) participated during qualified rounds of a WPT with three eliminatory matches: Match 1 (morning) and 2 (afternoon) on day 1 (<i>n</i> = 14), Match 3 (morning) on day 2 (<i>n</i> = 6). Mental fatigue and motivation, with scales, and reaction time, with a 3-min Psychomotor Vigilance Test, were measured at two time intervals (pre and post matches (<30 min)). To analyze the evolution of these variables, a two-way repeated measures MANOVA was performed. An increase in mental fatigue from pre- to post-matches was observed (<i>p</i> < 0.01), with an accumulation of mental fatigue between matches played on day 1 (<i>p</i> < 0.01), maximizing the mental fatigue perceived during Match 2. Padel matches impair motivation and reaction time (<i>p</i> = 0.04), without effects between successive matches, which reinforced the idea that mental fatigue may impair padel performance (i.e., reaction time). Coaches should use training interventions and recovery strategies to counteract/avoid the accumulation of mental fatigue during professional tournaments. |
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ISSN: | 1661-7827 1660-4601 |