Physical Load Affects Perceptual-Cognitive Performance of Skilled Athletes: a Systematic Review

BACKGROUND: Many researchers have considered the impact of physical exercise on perceptual-cognitive performance. There have also been a substantial number of studies that have examined how perceptual-cognitive skills differ between elite athletes and non-athletes. However, the knowledge on how physical exercise interacts with perceptual-cognitive skill is limited. This systematic review aims to provide detailed information on how athletes’ perceptual-cognitive performance is influenced by acute physical exercise load and whether these effects differ between elite athletes and lesser skilled groups. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted using different combinations of the keywords physical load, acute, exercise, perception, cognition, perceptual, cognitive, sport, and athlete with the PubMed and SportDiscus databases. Additional articles were found through screening the references of these papers. Articles had to (a) be full journal articles written in English, (b) include an athlete sample, (c) examine acute effects of physical exercise, and (d) measure a perceptual-cognitive task as the dependent variable. RESULTS: Twenty-six articles matched the inclusion criteria. Results suggested the impact of acute physical exercise on perceptual-cognitive performances of athletes depends on the specificity of the induced exercise and perceptual-cognitive task. Additionally, speed and accuracy were influenced differently by physical exercise. Furthermore, skilled athletes seem to be more positively influenced by acute physical exercise than novices. CONCLUSION: Since many factors influence perceptual-cognitive expertise, future research should be highly precise (e.g., regarding the definition of variables, the intensity of the physical exercise) and specific (e.g., regarding the tasks used, the type of the physical exercise)

Acute neuromuscular, cognitive and physiological responses to a Japanese kickboxing competition in semi-professional fighters

BACKGROUND: Japanese kickboxing is a combat sport designed to accommodate fighters from different combat sports styles. However, the physiological profile of this discipline is unknown. Therefore, this study describes the neuromuscular, metabolic and cognitive responses to an official Japanese kickboxing (K-1) fight in 8 kickboxers. METHODS: Measurements before and after the competition involved a simple reaction time test (SRT), countermovement jump (CMJ), blood lactate (BLA) and rating of perceived exertion (RPE). Additionally, each participant’s volume of strikes was extracted from a match-analysis. RESULTS: CMJ height was unaffected by the fight (p = 0.230 max; p = 0.208 mean). SRT increased post-fight (p = 0.0036). Peak BLA concentration was 15.3 ± 1.6 mmol·L-1 at 2 minutes post-fight. RPE increased post-fight (p < 0.001). Match-analysis showed 86 ± 23 total blows. For rounds 1, 2, and 3, blow distribution was 32.7%, 32.6% and 34.7%, respectively. Total punches were significantly greater (p < 0.001) than knee-strikes. Total kicks were also significantly greater than knee-strikes (p = 0.002). No difference was found between numbers of punches and kicks (p = 0.952). There was a positive correlation (p = 0.029; r = 0.76) between the sum of all strikes in the first two rounds and ΔBLA. CONCLUSIONS: The data obtained here indicate that K-1 fighters need to improve tolerance to lactate accumulation to perform greater number of actions. Furthermore, the results of this study suggest that CMJ height was not sensitive to specific fatigue induced by fighting