Optimizing Performance: The Dynamics of Health and Exertion in Professional Football

Aim: This study aims to comprehensively examine health and Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) parameters in professional football players on match days. The research seeks to identify the relationships between these two crucial variables, offering practical guidance to enhance sports science and coaching practices and ultimately improve player performance. Method: The study was conducted on 21 professional football players who participated in 35 league matches during the 2022-2023 season. The participants had an average age of 26.37 years, an average height of 182.52 cm, and an average weight of 74.14 kg, with 11 being foreign players and 10 being Turkish. The relationships between internal load (RPE) and variables such as sleep quality, fatigue perception, and muscle soreness (DOMS) were analyzed using a correlational research design. Results: According to the results of the Spearman correlation analysis, no significant correlation was found between health measures and RPE parameters. Conclusion: The absence of statistically significant relationships in the findings highlights the complexity of accurately capturing the interaction between wellness and RPE parameters. This result underscores the need for further research to explore whether alternative or supplementary methods might provide more nuanced insights. Sports scientists and coaches should remain cautious when adjusting training loads, recognizing the potential limitations of relying solely on RPE methods. Future studies could analyze the RPE and health data collected during different periods of the season from a long-term perspective, providing a clearer understanding of the changes between athletic performance and wellness.