Brain Endurance Training (BET) Improves Soccer-Specific Technical Skills and Cognitive Performance in Fatigued Professional Soccer Players

Fatigue is a common adversary in soccer, often leading to reduced performance as a match progresses. The innovative approach of Brain Endurance Training (BET) addresses this challenge by combining cognitive tasks with physical training to enhance both physical and cognitive performance, particularly under fatigue. A recent study looked at the impact of BET on professional soccer players, focusing on how it improves their skills and resilience when faced with mental and physical fatigue.

Why Brain Endurance Training?

The principle behind BET is that training under mental fatigue conditions helps athletes better manage the stresses of competition. By integrating cognitive tasks that challenge the brain during physical training, BET enhances the athlete’s ability to sustain high performance levels, even when facing mental and physical exhaustion. This study specifically aimed to determine the effectiveness of BET in enhancing soccer-specific skills, such as passing and shooting, and cognitive performance in high-stress situations.

Study Design and Methodology

Participants

The study involved 31 professional male soccer players from a national Portuguese second division team. These players were randomly assigned to either the BET group or a control group. The BET group engaged in physical training sessions where cognitive tasks were intermixed, while the control group followed standard physical training without any cognitive tasks. Each group underwent 18 physical training sessions over a six-week period. The primary focus was to evaluate how BET influences performance under fatigue, assessed through pre-test, mid-test, and post-test evaluations.

Dynamic Exercise Performance Improvement

Passing and Shooting Accuracy: The Impact of Mental Fatigue

Passing and shooting are critical skills in soccer, especially when players are fatigued. This study measured these skills using the Loughborough Soccer Passing Test (LSPT) and the Loughborough Soccer Shooting Test (LSST) before and after a 30-minute Stroop task designed to induce mental fatigue.

Passing Performance:

The BET group demonstrated remarkable resilience in passing accuracy and speed after completing the Stroop task. By the end of the six-week training period, their passing times improved by approximately?5% under fatigued conditions. This suggests that BET effectively mitigates the decline in performance typically observed as players tire during a match.

In contrast, the control group, which did not undergo BET, experienced a decline in passing accuracy after the Stroop task, with no significant improvements observed throughout the study.

Shooting Performance:Shooting accuracy also benefited significantly from BET, with a?10%?improvement observed under fatigued conditions by the end of the training period. This improvement was particularly notable after the players completed the Stroop task, indicating that BET helped maintain shooting precision even when players were mentally and physically exhausted.The control group, however, did not show such resilience. Their shooting performance continued to degrade under fatigue, highlighting the protective effect of BET against performance deterioration.

Cognitive Performance Enhancement

Psychomotor Vigilance and Mental Fatigue

Cognitive performance was assessed using the Psychomotor Vigilance Task (PVT-B) and the Mental Fatigue Visual Analog Scale (M-VAS). These tools were crucial in understanding how BET impacts cognitive functions, particularly under fatigue.

Cognitive Performance:

Players in the BET group showed significant enhancement in cognitive performance, with reaction times improving by?7%?after the six-week training period. This improvement was most pronounced after performing the Stroop task, suggesting that BET builds cognitive resilience, allowing players to maintain quick and accurate decision-making under stress.

Conversely, the control group showed no significant changes in cognitive performance, indicating that traditional training methods might not be as effective in preparing players for the mental demands of high-level competition.

Perceived Mental Fatigue:

Interestingly, players in the BET group reported a?29%?increase in perceived mental fatigue during training sessions. However, this did not negatively impact their performance. Instead, it suggests that BET enhances players’ ability to manage and push through mental fatigue, a crucial skill for maintaining performance in the latter stages of a match.

The study provides compelling evidence that Brain Endurance Training (BET) significantly enhances both physical and cognitive performance in soccer players. By integrating cognitive tasks into physical training, BET enables athletes to maintain their performance levels under the dual pressures of mental and physical fatigue. The findings suggest that BET not only improves critical soccer skills such as passing and shooting but also enhances cognitive resilience, positioning it as a powerful tool for optimizing performance in competitive sports.

TLDR:

Brain Endurance Training (BET) significantly enhances both physical and cognitive performance in soccer players by integrating cognitive tasks into physical training. The study found that the BET group improved passing accuracy by?5%, shooting accuracy by?10%, and cognitive reaction times by?7%?under conditions of mental fatigue.

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