Malta'da Genç Futbol Antrenmanlarında Oyuncuların Wellness, Mental ve Fiziksel Yoğunluğu Arasındaki İlişki Üzerine Nicel Bir Çalışma

Effectively managing training intensity is important to optimize the health and performance of elite athletes. However, limited research has been conducted on the relationship between training intensity and wellness status in young football players. This study included 123 young football players and 8 coaches from the Malta Football Regional Centers (MFRH) U12/13 and U14 groups. Participation in the study was based on voluntary basis and each age group underwent two training sessions per week. The aim of the study was to determine the relationship between the wellness status, mental and physical intensity of football players, and the planned and perceived mental and physical intensity of coaches. The main findings of the study showed a negative relationship between football players' pre-training wellness scores and their perceived (post-training) RPE, as well as coaches' perceived (post-training) RPE. This result indicates that coaches did not use the wellness questionnaire in the training planning process. In addition, a negative relationship was found between football players' perceived (post-training) RPE and their mental fatigue perception, suggesting that mental fatigue can occur independently of physical training intensity. Planned (pre-training) RPE scores of coaches were found to have a positive relationship with young football players' perceived (post-training) RPE scores, indicating that coaches were effective in planning and controlling training intensity. In conclusion, this study highlights the importance of using wellness questionnaires in managing training intensity in young football players.