Influence of Contextual Factors, Technical Performance, and Movement Demands on the Subjective Task Load Associated With Professional Rugby League Match-Play

Abstract

Purpose: To identify the association between several contextual match factors, technical performance, and external movement demands on the subjective task load of elite rugby league players. Methods: Individual subjective task load, quantified using the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Task Load Index (NASA-TLX), was collected from 29 professional rugby league players from one club competing in the European Super League throughout the 2017 season. The sample consisted of 26 matches (441 individual data points). Linear mixed modeling revealed that various combinations of contextual factors, technical performance, and movement demands were associated with subjective task load. Results: Greater number of tackles (effect size correlation ± 90% confidence intervals; η2 = .18 ± .11), errors (η2 = .15 ± .08), decelerations (η2 = .12 ± .08), increased sprint distance (η2 = .13 ± .08), losing matches (η2 = .36 ± .08), and increased perception of effort (η2 = .27 ± .08) led to most likely–very likely increases in subjective total task load. The independent variables included in the final model for subjective mental demand (match outcome, time played, and number of accelerations) were unclear, excluding a likely small correlation with technical errors (η2 = .10 ± .08). Conclusions: These data provide a greater understanding of the subjective task load and their association with several contextual factors, technical performance, and external movement demands during rugby league competition. Practitioners could use this detailed quantification of internal loads to inform recovery sessions and current training practices.

The subjective task load responses and movement characteristics associated with purposefully designed games in junior Touch players

“…The mean weighted rating across the five games were similar to those previously reported by Dobbin et al 9 and Mullen et al 23 except for effort, which was considerable higher in Mullen et al's study likely due to greater playing duration, the inclusion of physical contact, and the standard of competition. 23 Our results for mean and total weighted ratings indicate minimal difference across the five games, thus all games, regardless of the rules, elicited a similar task load.…”

“…The mean weighted rating across the five games were similar to those previously reported by Dobbin et al 9 and Mullen et al 23 except for effort, which was considerable higher in Mullen et al's study likely due to greater playing duration, the inclusion of physical contact, and the standard of competition. 23 Our results for mean and total weighted ratings indicate minimal difference across the five games, thus all games, regardless of the rules, elicited a similar task load. Such stability in the mean and total task load might serve as a useful property for those using subjective task loads as part of their workload modelling 31 where the sub-scales are reduced to an outcome that describes the entire session.…”

“…The emphasis on physical load in this study was achieved by extending the attacking and defensive periods of the game reflecting that of a match whereby players may have to attack or defend multiple set restarts. The approach to this game was highly successful at increasing physical load whilst also maintaining mental, frustration, temporal and technical within the range observed for rugby league match-play, 23 thus potentially maintaining the ecological validity of this game. The success of this game can be explained by the extended period of attacking and defending as well as the set-restart approach (i.e.…”

“…Such stability in the mean and total task load might serve as a useful property for those using subjective task loads as part of their workload modelling 31 where the sub-scales are reduced to an outcome that describes the entire session. The lack of difference in the mean and total rating might also suggest a lack of sensitivity and failure to account for the large variability in individual sub-scales that has been observed previously using the NASA-TLX 9,23 and other scales such as differential RPE. 32,33 For example, in our study, Figure 1 shows that the physical game elicited a physical load four standard deviations above the mean value (366 AU) whilst frustration was 2.8 standard deviations below the mean (86 AU), neither of which are reflected in a mean or total load.…”

Handedness did not affect motor skill acquisition by the dominant hand or interlimb transfer to the non-dominant hand regardless of task complexity level

“…NASA-TLX is used in a wide spectrum e.g. to assess surgeons' intraoperative cognitive workload 56 , to monitor the mental workload in geriatric inpatients during an exergame-based cognitive-motor training program 57 or to identify the association between several contextual match factors, technical performance, and external movement demands on the subjective task load of elite rugby league players 58 .…”