Effects of Playing Position and Contextual Factors on Internal Match Loads, Post-Match Recovery and Well-Being Responses of Elite Male Water Polo Players

This study aimed to investigate the effects of playing position and contextual factors (match outcome, final score difference, match location, travel duration, number of scored and conceded goals) on the internal match load, players’ perceived recovery and players’ well-being. The session-RPE (s-RPE), Perceived Recovery Scale (PRS) and Hooper Index (HI) of 17 male elite water polo players were monitored during all matches (regular season and play-out) of the 2021/22 Italian Serie A1 championship. Three separate, mixed linear models for repeated measures showed significant main effects: drawn compared to won matches led to higher s-RPE values (mean ± SE = 277 ± 17.6 vs. 237.3 ± 20.6), while longer travel duration (estimate = −0.148) and goals scored (estimate = −3.598) led to lower s-RPE values; balanced compared to unbalanced matches led to higher PRS values (mean ± SE = 6.8 ± 0.3 vs. 5.1 ± 0.4), while playing time (estimate = −0.041) and goals scored (estimate = −0.180) led to lower PRS values; higher scores of the HI were registered for regular season compared to the play-out (mean ± SE = 15.6 ± 0.9 vs. 13.5 ± 0.8). This study marks the importance of ecological and non-invasive monitoring tools to assess internal match load, recovery and the well-being of elite water polo players.