Author(s): RAHLF, L., KHER, S.1, MÖLLER, L.2, FÖRSTER, M.1, MASON, J.3, ZECH, A.3, Institution: EUROPA-UNIVERSITÄT FLENSBURG, Country: GERMANY, Abstract-ID: 794

INTRODUCTION:
The German domestic hockey league was interrupted by the COVID pandemic just like all sports leagues around the world, which resulted in a higher density of match play upon return. Evidence indicates that a higher density of match play in hockey increases the risk of injury (Mason et al., 2021), but little is known about internal and external load (and their interactions) during the period of restricted public life compared to a regular season.
METHODS:
During the second half of the outdoor seasons 2021 and 2022, 33 players of a national division one field hockey team were asked daily about their internal load via well-being surveys on sleep quality, fatigue, soreness, stress, mood, and post-session perceived exertion (RPE). The well-being items were summed to create an averaged readiness score. Additionally, the training and match load (carried over exposure; CoE) were tracked to assess external load. The individual values of the players were aggregated for each day of the season. A linear regression analysis was performed and the variables of well-being and RPE were controlled for season, day of the season and exposure.
RESULTS:
Overall, the analysed data included n= 66 seasonal days (32 and 34 days in season 2021 and 2022 respectively). None of the well-being indicators, including overall readiness score, differed significantly between seasons. However, all indicators of well-being showed lesser values on later days in both seasons as well as the greater the exposure the stronger the state of fatigue and soreness. Considering the power and the beta error, tendencies towards higher RPE values over the season were observed as well as tendencies towards lower sleep quality and stress with increasing exposure.
CONCLUSION:
The results show that the season progress and exposure is affecting well-being and exertion. The athletes showed lesser well-being on later days in the season and higher tendencies of exertion. In terms of exposure, the athletes showed higher soreness, fatigue and a trend to reduced quality of sleep and stress levels. Although no specific seasonal effect was found, the results show that higher exposure leads to reduced well-being and greater exertion, which may indicate inadequate management of higher exposure and may lead to further consequences such as injury or symptoms of overtraining.
References
Mason, J., Rahlf, A. L., Groll, A., Wellmann, K., Junge, A., & Zech, A. (2022). The Interval Between Matches Significantly Influences Injury Risk in Field Hockey. International journal of sports medicine, 43(3), 262–268. https://doi.org/10.1055/a-1577-3451