Lee Bell

This study aimed to explore how professional soccer coaches perceive and manage the balance between short-term performance and long-term learning. A sample of 118 coaches [head-coaches (61%); from Portugal (75%); UEFA-B (47%) or UEFA-A (25%)] from elite and national-level teams participated in a cross-sectional online survey addressing planning strategies across different temporal scales. Topics included long and medium-term planning and short and very short – term programming. Although coaches acknowledged the importance of learning, the planning strategies ended up focusing more on short-term performance, potentially constraining development across the season. The predominant programming models were daily load alternation (50%) and Tactical Periodization (39%). Most coaches (67%) maintained a consistent microcycle structure throughout the season. The microcycle structure was deeply associated with the specific contents in terms of their nature and demands, with contents strongly linked to specific training days within the microcycle. This rigid approach may stereotype training processes and negatively impact long-term learning opportunities. We suggest coaches adopt context-sensitive methodologies that attempt to balance immediate match demands with long-term team and player learning and development. We hope this study contributes to an evidence-informed dialogue between coaches and scientists to better harmonize immediate success and sustainable player development in professional soccer.

Despite the popularity of knee sleeves in strength sport participation, little is known about how athletes perceive to benefit from them during training or competition. Therefore, this study investigated current practices and beliefs of knee sleeves employed by competitive and recreational athletes from various strength sports. An open, anonymous survey was distributed via social media and industry experts to a cross-sectional convenience sample of competitive and recreational strength sport athletes. The 19-item survey was distributed between May and July 2025. A total of 225 respondents completed the survey (males =103 [45.8%], females = 122 [54.2%]; overall age = 36.1 ± 11.9 years; competition experience 5.5 ± 4.6 years). Respondents represented a range of strength sports (e.g., powerlifting, weightlifting, strong(wo)man, etc.) at various competitive levels (amateur to Olympic), as well as non-competitive recreational trainees. The most popular material for knee sleeves was neoprene (188; 83.6%), and the majority of respondents reported that their knee sleeves were 7 mm thick (143; 63.6%). More respondents favored manufacturer-recommended fitting knee sleeves 156 (69.3%) than tighter fitting (69; 30.7%). Perceived advantages and benefits were analyzed using content analysis principles, resulting in two categories: psychophysiological and social. Strength athletes use knee sleeves for several reasons, with the most frequently reported perceived benefits being increased stability, joint warmth, a rebound effect, and augmented maximal strength. Additional findings note that several of the perceived benefits have not been empirically substantiated, and further research is required to fully elucidate the potential benefits that knee sleeves have on strength performance.

This study investigated the prevalence of hormonal contraceptive (HC) use and perceived side-effects, menstrual cycle (MC)-related symptoms and perceived influences on performance, and pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD) screening items among female athletes in ladies Gaelic football and camogie. An anonymous online survey was completed by 455 athletes currently competing in these sports in Ireland. Participants provided information on demographics, sport participation, MC characteristics, HC use, perceived symptomatology, and PFD screening items. In this cohort, 51.7% of respondents were current HC users, with the oral contraceptive pill being the most commonly reported HC type (69.2%). Among HC users, 62.0% self-reported negative side effects with fatigue (37.2%) and mood changes (35.0%) the most prevalent. Of the non-HC users, 97.7% self-reported MC-related symptoms, with abdominal cramping (84.0%) and fatigue (82.2%) being the most prevalent. Pelvic floor dysfunction-related symptoms were also common, with urinary urgency (47.8%), genital pain (44.3%) the most experienced. These findings demonstrate a notable prevalence of HC use, MC-related symptoms, and PFD symptoms in this population. This study may provide a rationale for increased education and support for female athletes, coaches, and volunteers in Gaelic games regarding these health issues, as well as the development of individualised strategies for managing symptoms. Future research should focus on PFD in Gaelic Games athletes, incorporating objective measures and exploring interventions to mitigate these issues.

Background: The aim of this study was to characterise the performance, perceptual, and wellness responses to a barbell back squat overreaching training protocol. Methods: Eight trained male participants (age = 24.6 ± 2.8 years; relative to body mass back squat one repetition maximum (1-RM) = 1.9 ± 0.4; training experience = 7.0 ± 3.2 years) participated in a 5-day squat OR protocol (SqOR), followed by a 14-day taper. SqOR consisted of five sets of barbell back squats using 80% of daily adjusted 1-RM. A 40% velocity loss threshold was used to determine the set end point. For performance, isometric mid-thigh pull (IMTP) peak force (PF), and countermovement jump (CMJ) PF and jump height; for perceptual, perceived recovery scale (PRS); and for wellness, Hooper Wellness Index (HWI), were recorded at baseline, each day of SqOR, and at select intervals during the taper (POST 1 d, 2 d, 7 d, and 14 d). Follow-up back squat 1-RM testing was conducted at POST 7 d and POST 14 d to determine strength-performance changes relative to baseline. Results: Back squat 1-RM increased by 4.8% at POST 7 d and 5.2% at POST 14 d. IMTP PF increased by 10.3% at POST 7 d and 11.4% at POST 14 d relative to the baseline. CMJ PF and jump height decreased during SqOR but returned to baseline by POST 7 d. PRS and HWI worsened during SqOR, with the greatest impairment occurring on day 3 (PRS = −41.5%; HWI = 34.4%), and did not return to baseline until POST 14 d and POST 2 d, respectively. Conclusions: These findings demonstrate that a short-term period of planned OR improves muscular strength performance, but the duration of the taper influences when peak strength improvements are observed.

Deloading is a period of reduced training stress where training demand is intentionally reduced to mitigate physiological and psychological fatigue and promote recovery. A deload is commonly implemented to enhance readiness for subsequent training and occurs between or during training phases. During a deload, training is typically modified by reducing the intensity of effort, training volume, duration, or frequency. Adjustments in exercise selection are based on recovery goals and the specific demands of the athlete's training. Deloads are commonly preplanned and implemented into the training program every 4–8 weeks based on the structure of the training cycle and recovery needs. Alternatively, deloads are sometimes applied reactively using an autoregulatory approach to accommodate unexpected fatigue or performance decrements. While deloading shares conceptual similarities with tapering and training cessation, it should be differentiated based on its objective, structure, and positionality with the overall training program. The purpose of this article is to describe the current research landscape, propose areas for future research, and to provide broad practical recommendations for implementing deloading within the strength and physique sports training program.

This study aimed to bridge the gap in the literature on real-world analyses of coaches’ approaches to planning. A 12-week qualitative case study of a Spanish canoeing coach was carried out to examine the relationship between long- and short-term planning, analyze adaptations made to the original designs, and thus, enhance current understanding of this dialogue in a specific real-life context. To achieve this purpose, the first author followed the participant during training sessions in an unobtrusive manner, recording any relevant topic related to the research goal in the form of field observation notes. Weekly semistructured interviews were also carried out. Data were examined through thematic analysis, and two main themes were identified: (a) interplay and tension management between short- and long-term planning and (b) the dynamic tension between club and national team planning. Findings observed that the coach’s application of concepts related to planning usually had to be adapted. Indeed, external factors and demands obligated the coach to attribute more emphasis to short-term planning, despite the existence of a long-term plan. Moreover, findings established the need to understand sports planning as a micropolitical process, influenced by external pressures, organizational demands, and the constraints generated by sports practitioners.

Overtraining (OT) is both a process and an outcome. As a verb, OT describes the imbalance between training demand and recovery that could result in diminished performance or an improvement above the baseline. In this sense, OT can be intentional (e.g., a prescribed period of planned overreaching (OR), training camps) or unintentional (e.g., through poor programming decisions, miscalculation of training and recovery, training hard during periods of high non-training stress). As a noun, OT (known as the overtraining syndrome; OTS) is defined as an accumulation of training and/or non-training stress resulting in a decrement in performance capacity in which restoration of performance capacity may take several weeks or months. Before this doctoral research programme, resistance exercise OT was under-represented in the research and there was limited evidence-based information available to coaches to enhance their training decisions and avoid the deleterious effects of excessive training or inefficient recovery. This thesis has published research that has led to a more detailed understanding of the relationship between resistance exercise training and OT. Evidence collected and synthesised during the doctoral programme indicates that OTS is an unlikely occurrence following resistance exercise training. Indeed, this thesis has demonstrated that when appropriately implemented, a short-term period of highly demanding resistance exercise can result in performance improvements relative to baseline. However, caution must be taken when undertaking such training as there is still a possible risk of a maladaptive response if the balance between the training stimulus and recovery is miscalculated.

Despite the increase in popularity and professionalism of snooker, the application of scientific support by coaches and athletes to improve snooker performance is limited compared to other closed-skill sports. This study aimed to categorise sports science in snooker through a cross-disciplinary scoping review of the scientific literature. The literature search was conducted in four electronic databases: PubMed, Scopus, SPORTDiscus and Web of Science in September 2024. The search terms were selected based on the sports science disciplines outlined by the Chartered Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences. Initially, the search yielded 261 records, with a total of 14 included in the scoping review, demonstrating a general scarcity of available literature. Three broad themes were identified during data extraction: A) Psychology, B) Biomechanics, and C) Notational Analysis (snooker outcomes). Findings outlined that literature in snooker is monodisciplinary spanning various sport science disciplines. Studies in Theme A investigated: Coaching, Cognition, Decision-making, Mental Toughness, Motivation, and Visual-perceptual skills. Studies in Theme B investigated: Balance, Cue Action, Coaching, and Skills Test (Performance). Studies in Theme C investigated: Statistical Modelling, Complex Networks, and Simulations to understand snooker outcomes. Given the monodisciplinary nature of studies included in this review and the general scarcity of specific sport science research examining snooker, future interdisciplinary snooker science research should align with the three broad stages of the applied research model for sports sciences (description, experimentation, implementation), while also drawing on current knowledge in other closed-skill sports to inform performance preparation.

Background: Deloading is a ubiquitous yet under-researched strategy within strength and physique training. How deloading should be integrated into the training programme to elicit optimal training outcomes is unknown. To aid its potential integration, this study established consensus around design principles for integrating deloading in strength and physique training programmes using expert opinion and practical experience. Methods: Expert strength and physique coaches were invited to an online Delphi consisting of 3 rounds. Thirty-four coaches completed the first round, 29 completed the second round, and 21 completed the third round of a Delphi questionnaire. In the first round, coaches answered 15 open-ended questions from four categories: 1: General Perceptions of Deloading; 2: Potential Applications of Deloading; 3: Designing and Implementing Deloading; and 4: Creating an Inclusive Deloading Training Environment. First-round responses were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis, resulting in 138 statements organized into four domains. In the second and third rounds, coaches rated each statement using a four-point Likert scale, and collective agreement or disagreement was calculated. Results: Stability of consensus was achieved across specific aspects of the four categories. Findings from the final round were used to develop the design principles, which reflect the consensus achieved. Conclusions: This study develops consensus on design principles for integrating deloading into strength and physique sports training programmes. A consensus definition is proposed: “Deloading is a period of reduced training stress designed to mitigate physiological and psychological fatigue, promote recovery, and enhance preparedness for subsequent training.” These findings contribute novel knowledge that might advance the current understanding of deloading in strength and physique sports.