The sensitivity of the Fatigue and Fitness Test for Teams (FFITT) to measure the demands of a rugby match

Abstract

Regular monitoring of players in a team can be a challenge because it is time consuming, expensive and impractical. The Fatigue and Fitness Test for Teams (FFITT) was developed to satisfy the demands of a practical monitoring protocol for frequent use in team sports. This study aimed to quantify the sensitivity of the FFITT and assess the practicality of implementing the FFITT in a rugby team. The FFITT was completed before and after three university 1st XV rugby union matches. The FFITT was sensitive to the demands of a rugby match in some individuals. Grouped results (n = 22 players) revealed a significant reduction in HRR_60s of 7 beats post-match 3 (P = 0.002; ES = 0.52), which is greater than the 5 beats which constitute a meaningful change in fatigue and fitness. A significant reduction in SLJ of 11 cm was also observed post-match 3 (P = 0.04; ES = 0.69), which is less than the meaningful change (13 cm). On an individual level, meaningful changes occurred in SLJ distance in nine players, in HRR_60s in 14 players and in both HRR_60s and SLJ in three players. Descriptive analysis of the RTT-Q revealed that players experienced increased muscle soreness and reduced readiness-to-train post-match 1 and post-match 2. The FFITT could be successfully completed by the squad in 8 min during their warm-up. The FFITT satisfies both scientific principles and the coach’s demands of a practical monitoring protocol for frequent use in the team sports setting.

Keywords:

• Rugby
• injury management
• physical performance
• athlete
• validity

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).