Incidence of the tasks scoring system on the mental load in football training

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of the modification of the scoring system on two football training tasks, on the mental load perceived by the athletes. Likewise, the repercussion on conditional aspects was analyzed.

The participants were 40 soccer players belonging to four teams of the U18 division of honor, who carried out two different training tasks, the first a 5x5 possession and the second a reduced 5x5 match. Each task was developed on different days, with and without modification of the scoring system. Thus, to verify the perception of mental load, the NASA – Task Load Index questionnaire was used and mental fatigue was analyzed using Visual Analogical Scale. In addition, their perception of effort and the external load with GPS system were evaluated.

The results showed that the modification of the scoring system significantly affected the load and mental fatigue in both tasks, affecting more in the situation of reduced match than in possession. In addition, it was found that there were differences in relation to the physical load, showing that both variables, although related, affect differently. Therefore, the results obtained allow a first approximation to the importance of quantifying and controlling the mental load in sport, taking into account that it can have a different effect on the physical load.