International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology

The purpose of numerous scientific disciplines is to comprehend human behaviour. However, much of human behaviour that is understood to date occurs in artificial laboratory settings. Although this approach allows researchers to control variables, it is limited in understanding human behaviour in natural, fast and high pressure performance environments like soccer. Video-notational analysis could address these limitations by providing behavioural observations, following constructionist perspectives that argue that understanding behaviours in context – relative to environments and relationships – is fundamental. Accordingly, this conceptual paper explores the use of video-notational analysis to examine players’ behaviours in soccer, particularly emotions, visual exploratory activity (VEA) and intra-team communication. These topics were selected by the technical staff of Ajax AFC as they could provide immediate video inputs to the team and individual players about their psychological performance. The paper reviews previous literature on the use of video-notational analysis in understanding these players’ behaviours and its potential contributions to the field of sport psychology and performance analysis for future research, integrating emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning as well as practical implications and reflections.

Researchers have identified that sport emotions are interpersonal and can be transferred between a team and its members. However, studies examining the transfer of emotions across different phases of competition are limited. Consequently, the present study examined the cross-sectional, autoregressive (stability), and cross-lagged (bidirectional) relationships between collective and group-based emotions over three consecutive football matches, whilst controlling for the performance outcome. Competitive female football players (N = 47, Mage = 20.06 years; SD = 1.67) completed a sport emotion questionnaire before and immediately after a match for three consecutive games. Players also completed a perfectionism towards teammates questionnaire one week prior to data collection at football matches. Bayesian dynamic structural equation modeling revealed that collective emotions were associated with group-based emotions pre-game, but this was the case only for positive emotions. In addition, perfectionism towards one’s teammates was associated with group-based emotions at pre-game assessment. Emotions experienced at pre-game assessment were relatively stable at post-game assessment. Finally, collective emotions at pre-game assessment predicted group-based emotions at post-game assessment. It would appear that while the performance outcome strongly shapes players’ group-based emotions following football matches, pre-game collective emotions may offer earlier indications of the likely intensity of an individual’s group-based emotional response post-game; particularly when those emotions are negative.

This study explored the effects of previous match outcomes on subsequent mental effort, training-related mental fatigue, and player wellness scores. 26 youth-elite soccer players (Mage = 17.5 ± 1.2y) participated across a full-season. Mental load and wellness were assessed using Likert scale questionnaires. Mental fatigue was quantified by a 100 mm Visual Analogue Scale. Data were collected at 4 training occasions/week (Monday = MD+1, Wednesday = MD-4, Thursday = MD-3 and Saturday = MD-1), across 38 weeks with a competitive match on Sunday. A Linear Mixed Model was run, using training days and the previous match outcome as fixed effects. No significant effects of the previous match outcome were found on mental effort or mental fatigue for any subsequent training day (p > .05). MD-4 and MD-3 were identified as the most mentally demanding trainings, with MD+1 reported as the most mentally fatiguing. With regard wellness score, it was observed that a negative (i.e., draw or loss) match outcome significantly increased the stress (p < .05) and worsened the mood state (p < .001) reported on MD+1. In conclusion, coaches are recommended to manipulate task constraints and utilise load, taper and recovery strategies to counter perceived mental fatigue during the competitive week and the effects of match outcomes on players’ wellness.

Self-care has been identified as essential for promoting well-beingamong psychology professionals and an imperative forpractitioners. Nevertheless, the value of self-care for sportpsychology practitioners (SPPs) has only received limited researchattention. Yet, a growing body of work has emerged, offeringhelpful knowledge to SPPs throughout the professionaldevelopmental span. A synthesis of the existing literature onSPPs’ self-care could offer the knowledge foundation for trainingprograms on SPPs’ self-care. We systematically reviewed theexisting literature focused on self-care among sport psychologypractitioners. Using PRISMA guidelines, an initial database searchidentified 1,837 research records. After removing duplicatestudies, screening by title and abstract, and assessing full-textarticle eligibility, we selected 15 articles for inclusion. Analysis ofthese articles resulted in three prevailing themes: (a) sportpsychology practitioner’s self-care; (b) effective self-care; (c)connected care: A collaborative lens on individual self-care. Thesefindings offer a significant insight to the literature on self-care insport psychology practitioners. The synthesis also points to theimportant role others play in developing, implementing, andmaintaining effective individualised SPP self-care. Based on thesefindings, we offer recommendations for professional bodies andeducation providers regarding the alignment of training routesand continuing professional development programs with theextant literature on self-care.

This study aimed to explore the acute effects of aerobic and resistance exercise on craving, as well as their emotional and cognitive impacts in individuals with methamphetamine use disorder (MUD). Thirty-five male participants with MUD completed a within-group crossover design, involving three randomised tasks: a moderate-intensity aerobic exercise task (AET), a moderate-intensity resistance exercise task (RET), and a control task (COT). Craving and immediate emotional states were assessed at multiple time points before and after each task. Cognitive functions, including attentional bias, working memory, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility, were also evaluated before and after the tasks. Both AET and RET significantly reduced craving compared to the COT during and after the tasks. Participants in both exercise conditions reported higher positive emotional states (happiness, excitement) compared to COT, with no significant changes in other emotional states. Cognitive assessments revealed that attentional bias and working memory were lower following exercise tasks compared to COT, while no significant changes were found in inhibitory control or cognitive flexibility. Notably, attentional bias was identified as a mediator in the relationship between exercise and craving reduction. The effects of AET and RET were similar across all outcome measures. These results suggest that both aerobic and resistance exercises are effective in reducing craving and enhancing emotional and cognitive factors in MUD, particularly through improvements in attentional bias and working memory. These findings have implications for developing exercise-based rehabilitation strategies and highlight the need for further research in this area.

In football, referees are expected to deliver consistent and unbiased judgments, grounded in professional knowledge and expertise. However, much of the research on referees’ decision-making has traditionally focused on the concept of “bias” in their judgments. This review shifts attention to referees’ decision-making noise – defined as “undesirable variability in judgments of the same problem” (Kahneman, D., Sibony, O., & Sunstein, C. R. [2021]. Noise: A flaw in human judgment (p. 40). Little, Brown Spark). Noise reflects the inconsistency in referees’ responses to similar match situations, resulting in diverse decisions for comparable infringements. The article is structured into five key sections. First, we introduce the concept of noise in human judgment. Second, we explore the issue of noise in the context of football refereeing, offering examples and relevant data. Particular emphasis is placed on noise in foul decisions, incorporating both raw data and findings from existing literature. A detailed framework is presented, outlining the components, sources, detection methods, and strategies for reducing judgment noise in refereeing. In the third section, we compare bias and noise in football officiating, examining potential mechanisms underlying each. The fourth section considers strategies for reducing errors in refereeing and discusses the potential costs associated with implementing such measures. Finally, we argue why stakeholders in football officiating should expand their focus beyond bias to address the implications of noise in refereeing decisions.

Most African football nations need to strengthen their talent development environments (TDEs) in sport in order to nurture young elite players at the level of global competitiveness. However, despite the established importance of the environment to the striving and thriving of athletes, studies on TDEs in African football academies are scarce. This study’s objectives were twofold: (a) to test the reliability of the French version of the TDEQ-5 across three representative French-speaking African countries: Morocco (North Africa), Cameroon (Central Africa) and Côte d’Ivoire (West Africa), and (b) to assess and compare the quality of their TDEs in football. A sample from the three African countries selected consisted of 504 male academy footballers aged between 10 and 23, who completed the French version of the TDEQ-5. Confirmatory factor analysis and internal consistency analysis revealed a fair model fit of the TDEQ-5, therefore allowing its use in this context. However, the TDEQ-5’s factor of social support network was omitted in the comparisons because of low internal consistency. For the remaining four TDEQ-5 features, Moroccan players had the most favourable perception, while Cameroonian and Ivoirian players shared similar and less favorable perceptions of their TDEs. Across the selected countries, long-term development focus and holistic quality preparation were a strength and an area of improvement respectively. These findings suggest that the TDEQ-5 tends to validate differences and similarities in TDEs in sport between North, Central, and West African countries. It thus emerges as a reliable instrument to monitor and support the talent development journey of African academy footballers.

Fitness instructors seem to hold an important role as health promoters in fitness and health clubs, demanding an extensive comprehension of how to increase individuals’ experiences and long-term adherence to exercise. The aims of the present systematic review were two-fold: (1) identify, analyse, and synthesise the evidence concerning fitness instructor’s behaviours perceived by exercisers, and (2) pinpoint potential research gaps to inform future research. Identification of studies entailed searches across the PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, SPORTDiscus, and SciELO databases. The search strategy yielded 688 articles, with the analysis of titles and abstracts determining adherence to predefined criteria. Ultimately, 20 studies met the eligibility criteria. The review highlights the key role of exercisers’ perceptions of fitness instructors’ behaviours, meaningful in fostering elevated satisfaction with basic psychological needs, developing enjoyment, intrinsic motivation, and ultimately, bolstering the likelihood of sustained exercise engagement. The findings stress important considerations about interpersonal behaviours, in particular need-supportive and need-thwarting behaviours, pertaining to exercisers’ psychological and behavioural outcomes. Furthermore, consistent with the secondary purpose of this study, some research gaps that need further investigation were identified (e.g., longitudinal research, integrated study of psychological and physiological variables, digital fitness). The novelty of this systematic review lies in furnishing a structured insights repository capable of steering the interventions of fitness instructors, and to provide a foundation for future research uncovering potential research gaps.