Rate of perceived exertion in professional soccer: importance of the physical and psychological factors for training and competition.

Abstract

This study was undertaken to determine the relationship between the pre-competitive physical and psychological training sessions load, estimated by the training time, heart rate (HR) and the rate of perceived exertion (RPE), with the physical performance of players in the competitive match. To do this, in 21 professional players from the English Football Association Championship Division, HR, RPE, the training time and the specific training time in the high intensity zone were monitored during all the training sessions through all the 5 previous days before the match. It was also recorded the total distance covered and the total distance covered in the high intensity zone for each player in 22 official matches using the multi-camera computerised tracking system ProZone®. The results indicate that the RPE values correlate with the pre-competitive training volume and intensity, and therefore it is a valid tool to quantify the training load. However, within multiple variables involved in the competition, the RPE or the average HR data recorded during the pre-competitive training sessions do not seem to be variables that can predict the players´ conditional performance during the official matches.