Get the lowdown on the lockdown

Keep moving: Based on the study, two-thirds of the athletes (67%) performed exercises at their own homes. ­— filepic

PETALING JAYA: Did athletes suffer breakdowns during the Covid-19 lockdown?

Some did. Some struggled in the beginning. Some adapted and overcame. But some are still dealing with it.

And these are not only the experiences of Malaysian athletes but all over the world, according to a study done by Jad Adrian Washif (pic), a Malaysian sports scientist with the National Sports Institute.Jad, together with his colleague Carl James from United Kingdom and another Malaysian Kok Lian Yee, teamed up with 108 other researchers from 122 institutions, including Aspetar, the University of Melbourne and Loughborough University, to conduct the unique study called “Training during the Covid-19 lockdown: Knowledge, Beliefs and Practices”. It involved 12,526 athletes, which included over 1,600 Olympians and world championships athletes from 142 countries and six continents.

And the research and findings were so good that it was published by the Sports Medicine, a prestigious journal, recently.

Jad hoped that the study would help associations and policy makers to be more equipped in dealing with athletes post Covid-19.

“When the Covid-19 pandemic hit us unexpectedly, many athletes were left in the lurch. They didn’t know the best way to deal with it at home, and associations were also in the dark as no one was prepared for it,” said Jad.

“Some adapted along the way but much time was wasted.

“We got the help from researchers and sports scientists from 62 countries and we hope these findings will be able to help athletes cope in a better way in the future if a similar situation was to arise.”

Jad said they found a common trend from the worldwide data.

“The majority of athletes (especially the lower-level ones) reduced their training (i.e., negatively affected), in terms of duration, frequency, intensity, and type of activities due to limited training space, equipment, facilities and support teams,” he said.

“Most of the athletes, regardless of their competition levels (Olympic, national, state athletes) became less motivated to train during lockdown.

So what are the significance of this laborious study? Thanks to the time invested on the research over a year, there is now a model for the future.

“The information that has been gathered can be used by policy makers, associations, clubs, sports science and medical teams to improve their practices, for instance, on how to deal with athletes specifically,” said Jad.

“They can now develop guidelines and processes that facilitate ‘normal’ training during lockdown-like situations, etc Covid-related, quarantine, illnesses and injuries.

“We now know how to prioritise the support to individual and team-sport athletes’ similar situations.”

One of the keys was in helping athletes deal with their mental health issues.

“Through the study, we can now give specific assistance related to mental, emotion, and motivation for athletes during these lockdown-like situations,” he said.

“We have information to show that athletes require ‘resources’ to assist with their training. We may assume that top athletes have strong fundamental knowledge and beliefs and attitudes regarding training, but the data revealed otherwise.

“It was surprising that most of them had only moderate level of knowledge and beliefs related to training and its effects, even for the high-level athletes.”

“Athletes and coaches are advised to carefully consider appropriate training and competition after lockdown to minimise injury risk.

“It’s best to consult the professionals,” added Jad, who hopes all the sports stake holders will go through the study at the following link (https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-021-01573-z).

KEY POINTS

* Lockdown elicited a change in athlete training behaviors.

* 53% reduced their training motivation. Made worse by lack of competitions. Likely affected their mental health as well.

* 85% wanted to maintain their pre-lockdown training. 60% were quite receptive to remote coaching (video conferencing), especially top athletes.

* Two-third of the athletes (67%) performed exercises at their own homes. Focused on bodyweight-based and cardiorespiratory training.

* Majority did not train for sports performance (strength and power, aerobic fitness, skills and techniques).

* 83% maintained their general fitness, health and well-being.

* There were a lack of training space, equipment, facilities at homes.

* Limited access to multidisciplinary support teams (coaching staff, strength and conditioning specialist, nutritionist, physiotherapist).

* Higher classification athletes coped better (world class), but all reported substantial reductions in key training variables (frequency, duration, intensity, and type).

* World-class athletes were generally less affected in most aspects of training, compared to lower-level athletes.

* Some elite athletes were able to execute training and recovery more effectively, facilitated by the reduced social, travel, and competition demands.

* Some elite athletes had privileges of access to specific training facilities (weightlifting, strength training) through special arrangements for Olympics and other major Games.