Mental load and fatigue are important causes of performance decreases and accidents in different activities. However, a robust systematic review, detailing the instruments used to quantify them, is currently lacking. The purpose of this study was to summarize and classify by derivations the validated instruments used to quantify mental load and fatigue. The most representative electronic databases in the scope of this review, PubMed, WOS, Scopus, SPORTDiscus, and PsycINFO (until September 2020) were searched for studies that included instruments to analyze mental load and fatigue. The quality of the selected studies was scored using a quality assessment checklist. A total of 40 papers were included. Most of the papers used subjective scales (75%) to quantify mental load and fatigue, with a small presence of behavioral (n = 5) and objective techniques (n = 5). Less is known about the analysis of mental load and fatigue using a combination of derivations. Despite the high cost and complexity of objective techniques, research that applies these measures is important for further analysis of brain processes in mental load and fatigue. The design of a battery of tests that include the three types of derivations also seems necessary.

This study aimed to analyze the number of task, social and external athlete leaders within sports teams, and to examine the effectiveness of different leadership structures in male and female teams. The participants were 317 male and 214 female soccer players belonging to 18 teams playing in the third highest male division and to 13 teams playing in the highest female division in Spain, respectively. First, we identified the leadership structure in each team (i.e., having zero, one, two or three leaders); second, we grouped the teams according to these leadership structures; and third, MANOVA was used to compare different leadership groups in terms of their effectiveness. The results demonstrated that: (a) the most common structure within the teams was to have one task leader, one social leader, and two external leaders; (b) shared leadership across and within leadership roles was seen as the most effective leadership structure for male and female teams; and (c) male teams showed more benefits when having more task and external leaders, while female teams experienced more benefits when having more task and social leaders on the team. Based on these findings, coaches can optimize their team’s functioning by implementing a structure of shared leadership within their teams, both across and within the different leadership roles.

It is currently unknown whether mental fatigue occurs throughout a WPT competition and whether consecutive matches affect how mentally fatiguing a match is perceived to be. The objective was to quantify the effects of successive professional matches on mental fatigue. A total of 14 professional players (9 males, Mage = 25, 5 females, Mage = 21) participated during qualified rounds of a WPT with three eliminatory matches: Match 1 (morning) and 2 (afternoon) on day 1 (n = 14), Match 3 (morning) on day 2 (n = 6). Mental fatigue and motivation, with scales, and reaction time, with a 3-min Psychomotor Vigilance Test, were measured at two time intervals (pre and post matches (<30 min)). To analyze the evolution of these variables, a two-way repeated measures MANOVA was performed. An increase in mental fatigue from pre- to post-matches was observed (p < 0.01), with an accumulation of mental fatigue between matches played on day 1 (p < 0.01), maximizing the mental fatigue perceived during Match 2. Padel matches impair motivation and reaction time (p = 0.04), without effects between successive matches, which reinforced the idea that mental fatigue may impair padel performance (i.e., reaction time). Coaches should use training interventions and recovery strategies to counteract/avoid the accumulation of mental fatigue during professional tournaments.

This research project, composed of two studies, aimed to analyse various antecedents and outcomes of team resilience. Study 1, which involved 394 sports team players ( M_age = 20.41, SD = 5.23), cross-sectionally examined the relationship between group cohesion and collective efficacy with team resilience, and the mediating effect of collective efficacy on the cohesion-team resilience relationship, using players’ perceptions assessed through questionnaires. Study 2, which involved 434 players ( M_age = 21.53, SD = 5.57) from collective sports, aimed to longitudinally corroborate the relationship between cohesion (Time 1) and collective efficacy (Time 1) with team resilience (Time 2), and to examine perceived team performance (Time 2) as a consequence of team resilience, again evaluated through questionnaires. Results showed that task cohesion, social cohesion and collective efficacy in Studies 1 and 2 were positively related to resilience characteristics. Also, task cohesion was negatively related to vulnerability under pressure in both studies. Collective efficacy was also shown to be an antecedent of vulnerability under pressure in Study 1 and a mediator of the relationship between task cohesion and resilience characteristics in both studies. Lastly, team resilience was a predictor of perceived team performance at the end of the season in Study 2. Thus, the findings provide new empirical evidence of the antecedents and outcomes of team resilience in the field of sports psychology. Coaches and practitioners should develop group cohesion and collective efficacy in training sessions and matches during the season to achieve more resilient and less vulnerable teams.

Objective: This systematic review and meta‐analysis aimed to examine the effects of out‐of‐school physical activity (PA) interventions, based on Self‐Determination Theory (SDT), on basic psychological needs (BPN), motivation toward PA, and PA levels in youths.Design: Systematic review and meta‐analyses.Method: We searched for intervention studies examining the effects of PA interventions based on SDT implemented outside the school published in English and Spanish in six electronic databases up to January 2022.Results: Outcomes of interest were BPN, motivation, and PA levels. In total, nine studies were included in this review. Seven individual meta‐analyses were conducted for each variable, revealing nonsignificant clustered effects for the outcomes autonomy satisfaction (g = 0.12, 95% CI [−0.31, 0.55]), competence satisfaction (g = 0.02, 95% CI [−0.28, 0.32]), relatedness satisfaction (g = 0.13, 95% CI [−0.43, 0.68]), autonomous motivation (g = 0.15, 95% CI [−0.38, 0.67]), controlled motivation (g = 0.12, 95% CI [−0.32, 0.55]), amotivation (g = −0.36, 95% CI [−0.88, 0.16]), and PA behavior (g = 0.02, 95% CI [−0.08, 0.12]).Conclusion: Meta‐analyses suggest that out‐of‐school PA interventions based on SDT are not effective in increasing levels of needs satisfaction, types of motivation, and PA levels.

We explored the relationship among intra‐group communication, collective efficacy, transactive memory systems and team performance. One hundred and seventy soccer players, aged between 14 and 38 years (M = 18.35, SD = 4.71), from eight national teams participated in this study. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. First, our analysis revealed that intra‐group communication was positively related to transactive memory systems. Second, transactive memory systems was positively associated with collective efficacy and team performance. Third, our analysis revealed that collective efficacy mediated the relationship between transactive memory systems and performance. Altogether, our findings advance the literature by highlighting the relationship among intra‐group communication, collective efficacy, transactive memory systems and team performance team processes. From an applied perspective, our findings suggest that systemic interventions simultaneously targeting various team constructs are important to enhance team functioning.Highlights The relationship among intra‐group communication, collective efficacy, transactive memory systems and team performance were examined in national football teams. A cross‐sectional design was developed and the data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Playerś perceptions of high intra‐group communication were positively associated with the development of transactive memory systems. Higher levels of transactive memory systems and collective efficacy were associated with better team performance.