PhD, Associate Professor N.V. Lutkova¹
Dr.Hab., Professor Yu.M. Makarov¹
V.A. Minkin²
PhD, Associate Professor J.N. Nikolaenko²
PhD, Professor L.A. Egorenko^1
1Lesgaft National State University of Physical Education, Sport and Health, St. Petersburg
²LLC "Multisectoral enterprise" Elsis", St. Petersburg

Keywords: psychophysiological state, vibration imaging technology, competitive performance, skilled athletes from team sports.

Background. Immediate diagnostics of athletes’ psychophysiological state on 10 indicators using a vibration imaging technology makes it possible to study the impact of individual parameters of their psychophysiological state on their technical and tactical progress. Monitoring of the psychophysiological state of rugby players during top-ranking competitions is key to pursuing a planned goal. However, to determine athletes’ fitness for important matches we need to identify and study the impact of individual parameters of their psychophysiological state on the efficiency of their technical and tactical actions. The earlier studies helped identify 10 major psychophysiological parameters: stress, anxiety, danger, tranquility, energy level, self-regulation, inhibition, aggressiveness, neuroticism, charismatics [2, 3]. This choice is due to the fact that each of the identified parameters reflects both the psychological characteristics of athletes and their physiological and behavioral characteristics.

Objective of the study was to determine a differentiated impact of psychophysiological parameters of athletes from team sports on their competitive activity as well as determine the possible combination of these parameters that would ensure stable competitive results.

Methods and structure of the study. The vibration imaging technology with the use of VibraMed10 software was applied as the main research method [4]. The efficiency of their technical-tactical actions was evaluated by the positive and negative actions: successful scrums, lineouts, rucks, mauls, territories won. This approach is based on the principle of ball possession and its use by the attacking team, where the technical and tactical actions are conditionally divided into 4 groups: Group 1 - standard positions: place-kick, 22-meter drop-out, set scrum, lineout; Group 2 – semistandard provisions: ruck, maul; Group 3 – handling the ball: attacks by the defenders, attacks by the attacking players, attacks by the defenders with the involvement of the attacking players, backline game (analysis of all attacks based on the concept of the channel system in the game organization); Group 4 - kicking: tactical strikes, attacking strikes; short and high kick, shots on goal, drop goals and backline kicking [1].

This was followed by a comparative analysis of the game performance and individual parameters of the rugby players' psychophysiological state.

Results and discussion. To solve the first stage problem, the current psychophysiological state of the rugby players was tested; the test results are presented in Table. 1.

Table 1. Psychophysiological test results of skilled athletes from team sports at rest (n=16)

Legend: M – mean value of the parameter within a given period of time; S – standard deviation; Vi –variability of the parameter changes; bMin and bMax – minimum and maximum value of the parameter.

The baseline data obtained indicated no statistically significant deviations in the resting rates of the subjects. Almost all of them were within the normal distribution range. At the second stage, the psychophysiological state of the rugby players was tested before the competitions, during which we rated their technical and tactical skills and determined the percentage of successfully performed technical elements. The results of the identified ratios are presented in Table 2.

Table 2. Competitive performance of team athletes depending on their psychophysiological state, %

The data obtained showed statistically significant differences in the athletes’ ability to successfully perform the technical-tactical actions depending on their overall psychophysiological state, which, due to the fierce confrontation with the opponent, can also be changed rapidly, and that is what happens on the playing field.

Therefore, a rapid change in the overall psychophysiological state of the rugby players is seen as a short-term bodily response to the rapidly changing game situations. Under such fast-changing conditions, even skilled athletes act in different ways. For example, out of 16 participants of the study, only 5 subjects demonstrated a 60-80% technical and tactical progress, which was considered a high level of sports mastery. The technical-tactical skills in the other 4 rugby players ranged between 40-60%, which could easily be attributed to the average level. The technical and tactical performance of another 4 rugby players was estimated at 20-40%, which could not be considered satisfactory. We also identified another category of athletes, whose technical and tactical progress was unpredictable. There were 3 people in this category classified as a group of rugby players with unstable performance rates.

Due to the differentiation of the rugby players by the efficiency of their play activities, it became possible to conduct a comparative analysis of individual psychophysiological parameters of the athletes, which largely ensured their technical and tactical progress. As seen in Table 2, there was a clear trend of domination of some "special" parameters that significantly affect the outcome of the technical-tactical actions. These included aggressiveness, charismatics, energy level, and self-regulation. The overall picture of the apparent differences can be seen in the figure that shows the dynamics of these parameters in relation to the rugby players’ performance. The figure illustrates that the range of the registered minimum and maximum technical and tactical performance rates ranges from 20 to 80%. In general, the dynamics depicted in the figure do not provide a complete picture of the impact of each of these parameters on the performance results. This is primarily due to the fact that the statistical averages for the whole sample cannot be informative and reliable in relation to a particular athlete. Therefore, it is necessary to study the dynamics of the psychophysiological parameters in the rugby players groups with similar technical and tactical progress rates.

Diagram of psychophysiological parameters of rugby players depending on their competitive performance, %

The rugby players with 20 to 40% efficiency of the technical-tactical actions were characterized by charisma and self-regulation skills, with a marked lack of aggressive and particularly energetic behavior. The athletes with 40-60% efficiency demonstrated a higher level of aggressiveness and energy level with the stable values of charisma and self-regulation. When executing the technical-tactical actions during the competitions, the rugby players with 60-80% efficiency were found to have a unidirectional movement towards an increase in the levels of aggressiveness, self-regulation, and energy level. This was a balanced movement. In the group of rugby players with unstable efficiency, the uneven results were on the plane of the undeveloped mechanism of regulation of own psychophysiological state and as a result - the lack of reliability in the execution of the technical-tactical actions. The athletes of this category can execute the game techniques against the background of increased aggressiveness, with the lack of energy resources to demonstrate success, or aggressiveness and energy level may be limited in size though not controlled by the inability to regulate their own state.

Based on the identified dynamics in the psychophysiological characteristics of the rugby players, we were able to single out the most significant ones. Thus, the balance and mutual conditionality of aggressiveness, self-regulation, and energy level make it possible to estimate the stability of the athletes’ overall psychophysiological state in a competitive environment. In addition, the psychophysiological stability of the acquired state ensures the stable technical and tactical skills in a constantly changing environment.

The analysis results indicated that it is incorrect to claim that a particular psychophysiological parameter has an exclusive impact on the technical-tactical performance of rugby players. As shown in the study, the diagnostics of the current state of athletes must be approached from the point of view of a comprehensive assessment, in particular taking into account at least 3 essential parameters: aggressiveness, energy level, and self-regulation.

Conclusion. It was found that each individual psychophysiological indicator in athletes from team sports does not guarantee the successful performance of technical-tactical actions. It is only owing to the balance and interdependence of several incentives (in this case, aggressiveness, energy level, self-regulation) that steady competitive results can be ensured.

References

1. Ivanov V.A. Technical and tactical methods in competitive activity of rugby players. Teoriya i praktika fiz. kultury, 2006, no. 4, pp. 32-34.
2. Lutkova N.V., Makarov Yu.M., Minkin V.A., Nikolaenko Ya.N. Vibroimage technology to profile qualified team athletes using. Uchenye zapiski universiteta im. P.F. Lesgafta. 2019. No.4 (170). pp. 204-209.
3. Pristav O.V., Dementev K.N., Mironova O.V. et al. Study of motivational sphere of student swimmers in context of popularization of physical education and sports activities. Uchenye zapiski universiteta im. P.F. Lesgafta. 2014. No. 10 (116). pp. 208-212.
4. System of analysis of human psychophysiological and emotional state. VibraMed Version 10.0. Manual]. St. Petersburg: ELSIS publ., 2017. 67 p.

Corresponding author: nataliya_lutkova@mail.ru

Abstract

Objective of the study was to determine a differentiated impact of psychophysiological parameters of team athletes on their competitive activity as well as determine the possible combination of these parameters that would ensure stable competitive results.

Methods and structure of the study. The vibration imaging technology with the use of VibraMed10 software was applied as the main research method. Sampled for the study were 16 skilled rugby players. At the first stage, we assessed the subjects' psychophysiological state at rest. At the second stage, the efficiency of performance of tactical-technical actions of the rugby players was recorded during the game. The efficiency of their technical-tactical actions was evaluated by the positive and negative actions: successful scrums, lineouts, rucks, mauls, territories won. This was followed by a comparative analysis of the game performance and individual parameters of the players' psychophysiological state.

Results and conclusions. According to the results of registration of the subjects' technical-tactical actions, all rugby players were divided into 4 groups: those with the high level of game performance - from 60 to 80%, with the average level - from 40 to 60%, with the low level - from 20 to 40%, and with the unsteady level. The rugby players with 20-40% efficiency of technical-tactical actions were charismatic and were characterized by high self-regulation, with a marked lack of aggressiveness and energy level in particular. The athletes with 40-60% efficiency of game performance demonstrated a higher level of aggressiveness and energy level against the background of stable rates of charisma and self-regulation. The subjects with 60-80% efficiency of technical-tactical actions were characterized by a unidirectional movement towards an increase in aggressiveness, self-regulation, and energy level.

It was found that each individual psychophysiological indicator in team athletes does not guarantee the successful technical-tactical performance. It is only owing to the balance and interdependence of several incentives (in this case, aggressiveness, energy level, self-regulation) that steady competitive results can be ensured.