Throwing in the deep end: athletes, coaches and support staff experiences, perceptions and beliefs of upper limb injuries and training load in elite women’s water polo

Abstract

To understand elite athlete, coach and support staff experiences, perceptions and beliefs in women’s water polo with managing upper limb injuries and monitoring training loads. Inductive qualitative design. Twenty athletes, coaches and support staff were purposively recruited and participated in semistructured interviews. Participants either had experienced an upper limb injury or had experience managing athletes with upper limb injuries. Interviews were conducted in-person or virtually, audio-recorded, deidentified, transcribed verbatim and cleaned to ensure accuracy. Data were thematically analysed. Analysis identified five cohesive themes: (1) upper limb injury management is adequate—but prevention, communication and knowledge need improving, (2) current training load monitoring generates uncertainty and lack of consistency of processes—due to reliance on internal, and lack of external load monitoring, (3) optimal training load monitoring requires objective measurement of training load—that accurately measures the external load of athletes’ upper limbs, (4) athlete-centred philosophy matters—including athlete-centred care to facilitate individually tailored rehabilitation programmes and their inclusion in management decisions, (5) mental, social and emotional aspects of upper limb injury management matter—acknowledging feelings of loss of team inclusion, fear of missing out and frustration felt by athletes as well as the emotional labour felt by coaches when supporting athletes with an upper limb injury. Upper limb injury management and training load monitoring are evolving areas where objective measurement of training load may assist in increasing consistency of communication, collaboration and coordination between all stakeholders, and to address uncertainty. Stakeholders placed value in intangible qualities such as trust and care in their relationships with other collaborators—facilitating athlete physical, mental and emotional recovery following upper limb injuries.

A Dual Inertial Measurement Unit System for Classifying Standard Overhead Drill Movements in Elite Women’s Water Polo

“…A previous water polo observational study suggested that the ability to prescribe training at both an individual and team level may be key to optimizing training volume, intensity, and density progressions (8). Improved information would potentially optimize return-to-play processes and inform individual rehabilitation programs based on previous training history (42). Currently, this capability does not exist and is curtailing optimizing training prescription and, in doing so, potentially leading to nonoptimal systematic and graduated training progression (40).…”

The Correlation Between the Strength of the Shoulder and Trunk Muscular Systems in Elite Adolescent Water Polo Athletes

“…Therefore, the coaches, having the statistical analysis and the advice of specialized health professionals of different specialties, can structure individualized training programs for each athlete. In this way, harmonious cooperation is created between the members of the scientific team, the athletes, and the coaches, which improves the daily life and the competitive performance of the young athletes [ 20 ]. Furthermore, when these measurements are repeated during the season, a more detailed profile of the athlete is built, and coaches are given the opportunity to know the status of their athletes at any time.…”

Athlete monitoring perspectives of sports coaches and support staff: A scoping review

“…64,65,68,72 However, these quantified subjective and objective training load metrics tend to be regularly combined with a form of non-quantified subjective information such as athlete feedback, athletecoach interaction, or coach perception. 40,53,60,[64][65][66]68,70,72 "On occasion the self-reporting of wellness and internal loads can be at odds with the external loads provided. i.e., there have been times when the data is saying back off a bit but the athlete is saying no I'm good let's go" 68 -Local, national or international level swim coach or support staff Performance monitoring, which is the monitoring of metrics directly related to the performance outcome during training or competition such as speed, distance, power, or points scored, is considered by some coaches as one of the most important forms of athlete monitoring.…”