Abstract
Introduction: Post-activity recovery has been demonstrated to play an important role for athletes in physical performance as well as decrease the risk of injury. As a result of physiological stress and fatigue from the intense training and competition schedule for collegiate athletes, it is important for athletes to find a balance between the stresses of training and competition and with recovery. Many different types of recovery strategies exist, but this research focuses on active land-based, active water-based, stretching, and cold water immersion. The purpose of this research is to assess collegiate women’s soccer and volleyball athletes’ use of recovery strategies and perceptions of the effectiveness, as well as determine if there is a difference between the preferred methods of the two sports. Methods: This is a quantitative survey pilot study with a descriptive design. Permission was obtained from the chosen schools’ athletic directors as well as head coaches of the respective programs. An anonymous survey was hosted by Checkbox® at Florida Gulf Coast University where participants answered questions regarding demographic information, followed by selecting used recovery strategies and then ranking those chosen strategies by most (5) to least (0) effective. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Data were presented as means, standard deviation, or proportions of responses. Results: Ninety female athletes completed the online surveys (51 soccer and 39 volleyball), and 98% reported using recovery strategies. The most popular recovery strategy by both sports was static stretching, followed by cold water immersion and dynamic stretching. There was a statistically significant difference (p<.05) between soccer and volleyball athletes in the use of light jogging and pool jogging, with more soccer athletes using these strategies (40% for light jogging, 20% for pool jogging) compared to volleyball athletes (<1% for light jogging, 0% for pool jogging). Cold water immersion was perceived to be the most effective for soccer athletes with 36% of athletes rating it a 5. The volleyball athletes did not rank any of the strategies at a 5. Discussion: 98% of the surveyed athletes utilized recovery strategies. Static stretching was the most selected strategy among both sports in terms of use, but athletes ranked this method as only moderately effective. Cold water immersion (CWI) was the next most popular among the athletes, ranked most effective by soccer athletes and moderate-most effective by volleyball athletes. Less frequent use of cold water immersion may be attributed to availability, lack of requirement, and lack of common practice. Soccer athletes were more likely to use light jogging and pool jogging compared to volleyball athletes, which may be related to the demands of the sport. Conclusion: Static stretching is the most used recovery strategy by female collegiate soccer and volleyball athletes and is perceived as only moderately effective. Cold water immersion is the second most used strategy but is perceived as more effective than stretching. Athlete perception plays a role in the effectiveness of recovery strategies, so it is encouraged that athletes and the coaching staffs are informed about the effects of various recovery strategies on the body to help enhance athletes’ perceptions for recovery strategies while also receiving the physiological benefit of the strategies.