A clearer understanding of, and tighter boundaries between, terms are important for researchers designing studies as well as for other sport stakeholders creating evidence-informed policies. This article considers the terms ‘athlete’, ‘talent’, and ‘player’ from psychological and sociocultural perspectives and in different sporting communities to highlight the importance of terminological clarity in sport research. We present considerations to clarify the use of these terms within different contexts and how the use of specific terms may affect knowledge mobilization in diverse sporting populations. A conceptual discussion is provided to help operationalize development-related terminology and its associated stages, to better reflect contemporary academic thought, and enhance practical interpretations. Importantly, we also call for greater transparency from researchers when presenting findings and encourage practitioners to clearly define key terms when working in sport. Our intention in this paper is to energize readers to consider how we use language in athlete identification and development contexts, to stimulate deeper thought and discourse around the possible implications these terms may have at any point of an individual’s development in sport. Greater deliberation, identification, and acknowledgment of the drawbacks accompanying these terms will be needed before more confident assertions can be made on how researchers and practitioners could (or even should) implement certain terminology across youth sport contexts moving forward. This paper adds to a growing literature on the importance of clarity in terminology and acts as an impetus for those working in specific sports to co-design key terms used by researchers, practitioners, and policy makers.

The aim of this study was to identify position-related differences in absolute and relative match impacts in rugby union. Thirty-eight subjects were tracked, using GPS units containing inertial sensors, across one full playing season (n = 462 data sets). No difference in the number of impacts >9.01 G were observed between forwards (229 ± 160) and backs (226 ± 151). Forwards, however, experienced a greater absolute (p = 0.03) and relative (p = 0.003) number of impacts >13 G compared to backs. Full backs experienced the highest frequency of absolute impacts >9.01 G, which was significantly greater compared to locks (p = 0.001, d = 1.84), back row (p = 0.003, d = 0.68), out half (p = 0.036, d = 1.24) and wingers (p = 0.036, d = 0.76). Hookers experienced the highest relative frequency of impacts >9.01 G, which was significantly greater than locks (p < 0.001, d = 2.06), back row (p = 0.001, d = 1.10), outside halves (p = 0.001, d = 1.44) and wingers (p < 0.001, d = 1.19). Coaches should consider these findings when planning training sessions, as the frequency and magnitude of impacts experienced by positional groups vary during match play.

Partial body cryotherapy (PBC) has been shown to be beneficial for post-exercise recovery, however, no study has demonstrated the effectiveness of PBC as a recovery modality following elite rugby union (RU) training. RU is a unique sport that involves high velocity collisions with minimal protective wear and may represent a situation that could induce greater performance decrements than other sports, thus PBC could be beneficial. The application of PBC in ‘real-world’, as opposed to the laboratory setting, has rarely been investigated during the competitive phase of a playing season and warranted investigation. In a counterbalanced sequential research design, professional rugby athletes (n = 18, age, 25.4 ± 4.0 years; training age, 7.2 ± 4.0 years; mass, 99.8 ± 10.6 kg and height 188.3 ± 6.0 cm) were assigned to a 12-week PBC intervention, washout period (4 weeks) and reassessed as their own controls. Total self-reported well-being, muscle soreness, sleep quality and countermovement jump (CMJ) height were assessed pre and 40 hours post ‘real world’ training (field and gym). Wilcoxon signed rank tests and Cohen’s d were used for statistical analysis. No differences were observed in the PBC or control conditions (p > 0.05; d 0.00-0.14) for well-being (-0.02 ± 0.08% vs. 0.01 ± 0.06%), muscle soreness (-0.01 ± 0.11% vs. 0.01 ± 0.16%), sleep quality (-0.03 ± 0.14% vs 0.10 ± 0.29%) or CMJ height (36.48 to 36.59 vs 38.13 to 37.52 cm; p = 0.54). These results suggest that the administration of PBC is ineffective at enabling the restoration of selected performance parameters during the performance maintenance phase of the competitive season. To ascertain the appropriation of its use, future investigations should seek to assess the use of cryotherapies at various phases of the elite rugby union competitive season.

Grainger, A, Heffernan, S, Waldron, M, and Sawczuk, T. Autonomic nervous system indices of player readiness during elite-level rugby union game-week microcycles. J Strength Cond Res 36(11): 3173–3178, 2022—Elite-level rugby union (RU) is a high-intensity contact sport that involves large training and match volumes across a season, which can lead to postmatch fatigue. Autonomic nervous system (ANS) regulation and perceived fatigue have been suggested to relate to measures of training and match load in RU. However, there have been no studies to assess specific ANS variables in elite RU during in-season microcycles. Player readiness during game-week microcycles was measured via heart rate variability (HRV) indices, direct current potential and self-reported well-being among 13, elite, male RU players. To enable comparison, data collection days were categorized in relation to their proximity to match day, ranging from match day minus 3 (MD − 3), to match day plus 3 (MD + 3). Differences between match days were evaluated using general linear models and Cohen's d effect sizes. There were significant differences between MD and MD + 1 for ANS indices (RMSSD p = 0.04, d = −0.66, 95% CI 0.11–1.20; the standard deviation of NN intervals p = 0.04, d = −0.66, 95% CI 0.12–1.20; total power p = 0.05, d = −0.65, 95% CI 0.11–1.20) and wellness measures (readiness p = 0.18; d = −2.33, 95% CI, 1.54–3.13; energy p = 0.02; d = −2.24, 95% CI 1.44–3.03; soreness p = 0.00; d = −2.42, 95% CI 1.63–3.23). Match day plus 3 effects were significantly greater than MD + 1 in several ANS responses, with wellness recovering at a slower time-course than ANS responses. Measures of HRV are dysregulated postmatch, but based on their rapid recovery thereafter, using HRV to assess readiness of elite-level players in RU across a weekly microcycle could be limited and requires further investigation.

To quantify the rotational demands of elite female field hockey with respect to position. Twenty-eight (n = 28) elite international field hockey players were recruited during the 2018–2020 seasons. Players were monitored with GPS technology and heart-rate monitors. Methods: Activity was categorised into total distance (m), relative total distance (m·min⁻¹), high-speed distance (m; 16 km∙h⁻¹), relative high-speed distance (m·min⁻¹), max velocity (km·h⁻¹), and percentage maximal velocity (%Vmax). Physiological demands were assessed via heart rate measures (bpm and % HR_max) and time > 80% heart rate maximum. Results: A single rotation equated to 7 ± 0.8 min. Players covered a mean total distance of was 868 ± 132 m (125.7 ± 5.9 m·min⁻¹) with 140 ± 39 m at high-speed (21.7 ± 3.6 m·min⁻¹). A significant difference was reported for relative total (p ≤ 0.001), and high-speed (p ≤ 0.001), distance across positional. Forwards were reported to cover the most relative total and high-speed distance (d = 1.0) when compared to defenders and midfielders. Conclusion: The study provides normative data for rotational demands of elite female field hockey. Coaches should consider these demands when developing training drills to better optimise the positional physical and physiological demands of competitive match-play.