Seasonal Perceived Training Load in NCAA DI Men’s Soccer: Is There a Dose-Response Relationship?

The purpose of this dissertation was to determine if a there was a dose-response relationship across an NCAA Division I men’s soccer season. Specifically, this dissertation serves to: 1.) assess the validity of duration measurements that have previously been used to calculate session RPE during competitive matches, 2.) determine the degree and magnitude of change in intermittent endurance performance across a season and to observe how change in endurance relates with training load, 3.) determine the degree and magnitude of change in strength and explosiveness across a season, and to see how these strength changes relate to training load. 1.) Minutes played were found to be the most accurate duration for calculating session RPE during men’s NCAA Division I soccer matches. 2.) Endurance performance, measured using the Yo-Yo IR1, increased by an average of 14 percent from pre to post season. Furthermore, a large, negative relationship was observed between training load and change endurance performance. These relationships suggest that excessive accumulation of training load can impair endurance performance. The congested NCAA DI match schedule may make it difficult to prevent excessive training loads. 3.) When players were grouped by amount of college soccer experience (upper and underclassmen), upperclassmen jumped significantly higher than underclassmen during the preseason. Moreover, the upperclassmen maintained or increased jump height from pre to post season, while underclassmen experienced a general decrease in jump height from pre to post season. Moderate relationships indicate a positive relationship between training load from resistance training and changes in strength. Likewise, these same relationships strengthened in the players who received more playing time during matches. Taken together, the high numbers of moderate relationships indicate a high level of individual variability. Dose-response relationships with strength variables were not sufficiently established. The overall findings of this dissertation provide evidence that subjectively and objectively monitoring training load and soccer-related performance variables can assist coaches in making decisions that will promote the welfare of their team