SECTION IV - PSYCHOLOGICAL AND SOCIOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF SPORT AND EXERCISE / RESEARCH PAPER
Beyond Warm-Ups: How Conditioning Activities Shape
Mental and Physical Readiness in Young Soccer Players
1
Department of Sports, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
2
GEMEPE/UFMT, Physical Education Department, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso-UFMT, Cuiabá, Brazil.
Submission date: 2025-06-30
Final revision date: 2025-11-03
Acceptance date: 2026-02-16
Online publication date: 2026-06-01
Corresponding author
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
This study aimed to compare inhibitory control, perceived exertion, subjective mental fatigue, and countermovement jump (CMJ) height in young soccer players following three different conditioning activities: (a) a coordinative task, (b) sprinting, and (c) a combination of coordinative and sprint tasks. Twenty-five under-15 soccer players participated in four randomized and crossover experimental conditions: Coordinative (COORD), Sprint (SPRT), Combined (COMB), and Control with low cognitive demand (CONT). Before and after each warm-up activity, the following variables were measured: perceived exertion, perceived mental fatigue, CMJ height, stroop test response time, and accuracy. Generalised Estimating Equations analysis revealed a main effect of time for perceived exertion (p < 0.001), perceived mental fatigue (p < 0.001), the CMJ (p < 0.001), and response time (p = 0.012). After performing the SPRT and COMB warm-ups, players reported higher perceived exertion and reduced CMJ performance when compared to the other experimental conditions (p < 0.05). Greater subjective mental fatigue was observed following the COORD and COMB warm-ups than the CONT experimental condition (p < 0.05). However, only the COMB condition resulted in increased response time for the inhibitory control when compared to the CONT condition (p < 0.05). Caution is warranted when incorporating COMB warm-ups into training sessions that are followed by tasks requiring both physical and cognitive effort.
REFERENCES (44)
1.
Bangsbo, J., Iaia, F. M., & Krustrup, P. (2008). The Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test Intermittent Sports. Sports Medicine, 38(1), 37–51. https://doi.org/10.2165/000072....
2.
Blazevich, A. J., & Babault, N. (2019). Post-activation Potentiation Versus Post-activation Performance Enhancement in Humans: Historical Perspective, Underlying Mechanisms, and Current Issues. Frontiers in Physiology, 10, 1359. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.....
3.
Brandão, L. H. A., Chagas, T. P. N., Vasconcelos, A. B. S., de Oliveira, V. C., Fortes, L. de S., de Almeida, M. B., Mendes Netto, R. S., Del-Vecchio, F. B., Neto, E. P., Chaves, L. M. S., Jimenez-Pavón, D., & Da Silva-Grigoletto, M. E. (2020). Physiological and performance impacts after field supramaximal high-intensity interval training with different work-recovery duration. Frontiers in Physiology, 11(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.....
4.
Buchheit, M., & Laursen, P. B. (2013). High-intensity interval training, solutions to the programming puzzle: Part I: Cardiopulmonary emphasis. Sports Medicine, 43(5), 313–338. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279....
5.
Chen, Y. C., Li, R. H., Chen, F. T., Wu, C. H., Chen, C. Y., Chang, C. C., & Chang, Y. K. (2023). Acute effect of combined exercise with aerobic and resistance exercises on executive function. PeerJ, 21(11), e15768. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.....
6.
Claudino, J. G., Cronin, J., Mezêncio, B., McMaster, D. T., McGuigan, M., Tricoli, V., Amadio, A. C., & Serrão, J. C. (2017). The countermovement jump to monitor neuromuscular status: A meta-analysis. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 20(4), 397–402. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsam....
7.
Coutinho, D., Gonçalves, B., Travassos, B., Wong, D. P., Coutts, A. J., & Sampaio, J. E. (2017). Mental fatigue and spatial references impair soccer players’ physical and tactical performances. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 1645. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.....
8.
Coutinho, D., Gonçalves, B., Wong, D. P., Travassos, B., Coutts, A. J., & Sampaio, J. (2018). Exploring the effects of mental and muscular fatigue in soccer players’ performance. Human Movement Science, 58, 287–296. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.humo....
9.
De Melo, M. B., Daldegan-bueno, D., Oliveira, M. G. M., & De Souza, A. L. (2022). Beyond ANOVA and MANOVA for repeated measures: Advantages of generalized estimated equations and generalized linear mixed models and its use in neuroscience research. European Journal of Neuroscience, 56(12), 6089–6098. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejn.15....
10.
Devos, H., Gustafson, K., Ahmadnezhad, P., & Liao, K. (2020). Psychometric Properties of NASA-TLX and Index of Cognitive Activity as Measures of Cognitive Workload in Older Adults. Brain Science, 10(12), 994. https://doi.org/10.3390/brains....
11.
Dickey, T. A., Thompson, B. J., Fisher, C. M., Flygare, T. W. & Wagner, D. R. (2025). Post-activation Performance Enhancement Following Maximal Effort, Multi-Joint Isokinetic Eccentric Muscle Actions. Journal of Human Kinetics, 97, 213–223. https://doi.org/10.5114/jhk/20....
12.
Faude, O., Koch, T., & Meyer, T. (2012). Straight sprinting is the most frequent action in goal situations in professional football. Journal of Sports Sciences, 30(7), 625–631. https://doi.org/10.1080/026404....
13.
Faul, F., Erdfelder, E., Lang, A.-G., & Bunchner, A. (2007). G*Power 3: A flexible statistical power analysis program for the social, behavioral, and biomedical sciences. Behavior Research Methods, 39(2), 175–191.
14.
Fortes, L., Paes, P. P., Mortatti, A. L., Perez, A. J., Cyrino, E. S., De Lima-Júnior, D. R. A. A., & Moreira, A. (2018). Effect of different warm-up strategies on countermovement jump and sprint performance in basketball players. Isokinetics and Exercise Science, 26(3), 219–225. https://doi.org/10.3233/IES-17....
15.
Fortes, L. S., Lima-Junior, D., Nascimento-Júnior, J. R. A., Costa, E. C., Matta, M. O., & Ferreira, M. E. C. (2019). Effect of exposure time to smartphone apps on passing decision-making in male soccer athletes. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 44, 35–41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyc....
16.
Foster, C., Florhaug, J., Franklin, J., Gottschall, L., Hrovatin, L., Parker, S., Doleshal, P., & Dodge, C. (2001). A New Approach to Monitoring Exercise Training. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 15(1), 109–115. https://doi.org/10.1519/001242....
17.
Graf, P., Uttl, B., & Tuokko, H. (1995). Color- and Picture-Word Stroop Tests: Performance Changes in Old Age. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 17(3), 390–415. https://doi.org/10.1080/016886....
18.
Haddad, M., Stylianides, G., Djaoui, L., & Dellal, A. (2017). Session-RPE Method for Training Load Monitoring: Validity, Ecological Usefulness, and Influencing Factors. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 2(11), 612. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.....
19.
Hart, L. M., Cohen, D. D., Patterson, S. D., Springham, M., Reynolds, J., & Read, P. (2019). Previous injury is associated with heightened countermovement jump force-time asymmetries in professional soccer players. Translational Sports Medicine, 2(5), 256–262. https://doi.org/10.1002/TSM2.9....
20.
Hart, S. G., & Staveland, L. E. (1988). Development of NASA-TLX (Task Load Index): Results of Empirical and Theoretical Research. Human Mental Workload, 52, 139–183. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0166-....
21.
Haugan, J. A., Lervold, K., Kaalvik, H., & Moen, F. (2025). A scoping review of empirical research on executive functions and game intelligence in soccer. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, 1536174. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.....
22.
Herold, F., Hamacher, D., Schega, L., & Müller, N. G. (2018). Thinking While Moving or Moving While Thinking – Concepts of Motor-Cognitive Training for Cognitive Performance Enhancement. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 6(10), 228. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnagi.....
23.
Jiang, H., Kulkarni, P. M., Mallinckrodt, C. H., Shurzinske, L., Molenberghs, G., & Lipkovich, I. (2015). To adjust or not to adjust for baseline when analyzing repeated binary responses? The case of complete data when treatment comparison at study end is of interest. Pharmaceutical Statistics, 14(3), 262–271. https://doi.org/10.1002/PST.16....
24.
Jiménez-Reyes, P., Pareja-Blanco, F., Cuadrado-Peñafiel, V., Ortega-Becerra, M., Párraga, J., & González-Badillo, J. J. (2019). Jump height loss as an indicator of fatigue during sprint training. Journal of Sports Sciences, 37(9), 1029–1037. https://doi.org/10.1080/026404....
25.
Jost, L., Luttmann, C., Jansen, P., Jost, L., & Luttmann, C. (2024). Effects of a concurrent maximum performance aerobic exercise test and cognitive task on physical and cognitive performance and effort performance and effort. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 22(2), 368–394. https://doi.org/10.1080/161219....
26.
Krämer, U. M., Solbakk, A. K., Funderud, I., Løvstad, M., Endestad, T., & Knight, R. T. (2013). The role of the lateral prefrontal cortex in inhibitory motor control. Cortex, 49(3), 837–849. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cort....
27.
Lambourne, K., & Tomporowski, P. (2010). The effect of exercise-induced arousal on cognitive task performance: A meta-regression analysis. Brain Research, 1341, 12–24. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brai....
28.
Lee, K. A., Hicks, G., & Nino-Murcia, G. (1991). Validity and reliability of a scale to assess fatigue. Psychiatry Research, 36(3), 291–298. https://doi.org/10.1016/0165-1....
29.
McCullagh, P. and Nelder, J.A. (1989) Generalized Linear Models. 2nd Edition, Chapman and Hall, London. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-....
30.
McGowan, C. J., Pyne, D. B., Thompson, K. G., & Rattray, B. (2015). Warm-Up Strategies for Sport and Exercise: Mechanisms and Applications. Sports Medicine, 45(11), 1523–1546. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279....
31.
McKay, A. K. A., Stellingwerff, T., Smith, E. S., Martin, D. T., Mujika, I., Goosey-Tolfrey, V. L., Sheppard, J., & Burke, L. M. (2022). Defining Training and Performance Caliber: A Participant Classification Framework. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 17(2), 317–331. https://doi.org/10.1123/IJSPP.....
32.
Mendiguchia, J., Samozino, P., Martinez-Ruiz, E., Brughelli, M., Schmikli, S., Morin, J. B., & Mendez-Villanueva, A. (2014). Progression of mechanical properties during on-field sprint running after returning to sports from a hamstring muscle injury in soccer players. International Journal of Sports Medicine, 35(8), 690–695. https://doi.org/10.1055/S-0033....
33.
Moreira, P. E. D., Albuquerque, M. R., Fortes, L. D. S. & Praça, G. M. (2025). How Do Cognitive and Motor Dual-Tasks during Small-Sided Games Impact the Tactical Performance of Youth Soccer Players?. Journal of Human Kinetics, 97, 249–261. https://doi.org/10.5114/jhk/19....
34.
Pek, J., & Flora, D. B. (2018). Reporting effect sizes in original psychological research: A discussion and tutorial. Psychological Methods, 23(2), 208–225. https://doi.org/10.1037/met000....
35.
Pesce, C. (2012). Shifting the focus from quantitative to qualitative exercise characteristics in exercise and cognition research. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 34(6), 766–786. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsep.3....
36.
Pinheiro, G. de S., Drummond, M., Almeida, A., Szmuchrowski, L., & Couto, B. (2022). The Effect of a Repeated Sprint Training Session on Neuromuscular Acute Fatigue. Lecturas: Educación Física y Deportes, 27(289), 42–55. https://doi.org/10.46642/efd.v....
37.
Pueo, B., Lipinska, P., Jiménez-Olmedo, J. M., Zmijewski, P., & Hopkins, W. G. (2017). Accuracy of Jump-Mat Systems for Measuring Jump Height. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 12(7), 959–963. https://doi.org/10.1123/IJSPP.....
38.
Rubio, S., Díaz, E., Martín, J., & Puente, J. M. (2004). Evaluation of Subjective Mental Workload : A Comparison of SWAT , NASA-TLX , and Workload Profile Methods. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 53(1), 61–86. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1464....
39.
Scharfen, H. E., & Memmert, D. (2019). The relationship between cognitive functions and sport-specific motor skills in elite youth soccer players. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 817. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.....
40.
Shenhav, A., Botvinick, M. M., & Cohen, J. D. (2013). The expected value of control: An integrative theory of anterior cingulate cortex function. Neuron, 79(2), 217–240. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neur....
41.
Silva-Neto, M. E., Oliveira, S. F. M., Oliveira, J. I. V., Gomes, W. S., Lira, H. A. A. S., & Fortes, L. S. (2023). Acute Effects of Different Conditioning Activities on Amateur Soccer Players. International Journal of Sports Medicine, 44(12), 882–888. https://doi.org/10.1055/a-2126....
42.
Takahashi, S., & Grove, P. M. (2020). Use of Stroop Test for Sports Psychology Study: Cross-Over Design Research. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 614038. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.....
43.
Van Cutsem, J., & Marcora, S. (2021). The Effects of Mental Fatigue on Sport Performance: An Update. In Motivation and Self-regulation in Sport and Exercise (1st ed.). Routledge, London. https://doi.org/10.4324/978100....
44.
Woolley, B., Jakeman, J., & Faulkner, J. (2014). Multiple sprint exercise with a short deceleration induces muscle damage and performance impairment in young, physically active males. Journal of Athletic Enhancement, 3(2), 1000144. http://dx.doi.org/10.4172/2324....
Share
RELATED ARTICLE
| eISSN: | 1899-7562 |
| ISSN: | 1640-5544 |
We process personal data collected when visiting the website. The function of obtaining information about users and their behavior is carried out by voluntarily entered information in forms and saving cookies in end devices. Data, including cookies, are used to provide services, improve the user experience and to analyze the traffic in accordance with the Privacy policy. Data are also collected and processed by Google Analytics tool (more).
You can change cookies settings in your browser. Restricted use of cookies in the browser configuration may affect some functionalities of the website.
You can change cookies settings in your browser. Restricted use of cookies in the browser configuration may affect some functionalities of the website.
