Enhancing Performance & Preventing Injuries in Team Sport Players

Next to physical load and recovery as a result of training, psychosocial stress and recovery affect performance and injury risk of team sport players. This can be concluded based on a series of studies that focus on the relation between jumping technique, training load, training recovery, psychosocial stress and recovery on the one hand and performance and injury risk on the other hand.
In total 129 male and female volleyball, basketball, korfball and floorball players were monitored over two seasons. During this period the players were screened for jumping technique at the start of the season, while during the season performance tests were conducted every 6 weeks and the players filled out a psychosocial stress and recovery questionnaire every 3 weeks. Injuries were registered by the physical therapist. Results show that more psychosocial stress and less psychosocial recovery relate to a decreased aerobic performance. Less psychosocial recovery also relate to the occurrence of acute and overuse injuries. The screening at the start of the season shows that less stability after landing from a jump increases the risk of an acute ankle injury, while a stiff landing technique increases the risk of an overuse knee injury. For practice, it seems important for coaches and sport physiotherapist to include baseline measurements to identify players at risk and incorporate prevention programs into their daily training routines. Besides, monitoring physical and psychosocial stress and recovery during the season can identify players with a disbalance and proper interventions in training or the psychosocial domain can be implemented.