Multidimensional physiological adaptations to intensive training in elite sepak takraw athletes: an embedded mixed-methods study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55040/qb0cdk87Keywords:
sepak takraw, elite athletes, physiological adaptationAbstract
Research on elite training adaptation has mainly relied on physiological outcomes, while studies integrating physiological and experiential data in elite sepak takraw remain limited. This study examined multidimensional physiological adaptation in elite male sepak takraw athletes during a 17-week national training camp using a quantitative-dominant embedded mixed-methods design. Sixteen elite athletes completed an intensified and structured training program. Quantitative data were collected through pre- and post-training assessments of estimated aerobic capacity, muscular endurance, lower-limb power, speed, and agility, while qualitative autoethnographic data were collected concurrently through reflective journaling. The findings showed meaningful improvements across the measured physiological domains, although individual responses varied, with high, moderate, and low responders identified. Qualitative findings revealed a non-linear adaptation process involving initial fatigue, progressive adaptation, and performance stabilization. The integration of both datasets suggests that performance gains emerged after accumulated fatigue and recovery, rather than through a purely linear process. These findings highlight the value of combining objective testing with subjective monitoring to guide individualized training decisions in elite sepak takraw.
References
Abt, G., Boreham, C., Davison, G., Jackson, R., Nevill, A., Wallace, E., & Williams, M. (2020). Power, precision, and sample size estimation in sport and exercise science research. Journal of Sports Sciences, 38(17), 1933–1935. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2020.1776002
Aerts, J.-M., Moons, K., Masci, F., Meeusen, R., & Gielen, J. (2025). Identifying stakeholder perspectives and priorities for athlete monitoring technology: A mixed-methods study based on interviewing Belgian high-performance sports organisations. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching. https://doi.org/10.1177/17479541241312015
Alfonso, C., Haydt, V., Allen, M. S., Capdevila, L., & Laborde, S. (2025). Monitoring training adaptation: a scoping review of the relationship between self-reported subjective variables and resting vagally-mediated heart rate variability (vmHRV) in adult athletes. International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 1–38. https://doi.org/10.1080/1750984X.2025.2541350
Aslam, S., Habyarimana, J. D. D., & Bin, S. Y. (2025). Neuromuscular adaptations to resistance training in elite versus recreational athletes. Frontiers in Physiology, 16. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2025.1598149
Bestwick-Stevenson, T., Toone, R., Neupert, E., Edwards, K., & Kluzek, S. (2022). Assessment of Fatigue and Recovery in Sport: Narrative Review. International Journal of Sports Medicine, 43(14), 1151–1162. https://doi.org/10.1055/a-1834-7177
Bıcakcı, B., Cieszczyk, P., & Humińska-Lisowska, K. (2024). Genetic Determinants of Endurance: A Narrative Review on Elite Athlete Status and Performance. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 25(23), 13041. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms252313041
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Buchheit, M., & Laursen, P. B. (2013). High-Intensity Interval Training, Solutions to the Programming Puzzle. Sports Medicine, 43(5), 313–338. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-013-0029-x
Cormie, P., McGuigan, M. R., & Newton, R. U. (2011). Developing Maximal Neuromuscular Power. Sports Medicine, 41(1), 17–38. https://doi.org/10.2165/11537690-000000000-00000
Coyne, J. O. C., Coutts, A. J., Newton, R. U., & Haff, G. G. (2022). The Current State of Subjective Training Load Monitoring: Follow-Up and Future Directions. Sports Medicine - Open, 8(1), 53. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40798-022-00433-y
Drole, K., Doupona, M., Steffen, K., Jerin, A., & Paravlic, A. (2025). Associations between subjective and objective measures of stress and load: an insight from 45-week prospective study in 189 elite athletes. Frontiers in Psychology, 15. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1521290
Granacher, U., Puta, C., Gabriel, H. H. W., Behm, D. G., & Arampatzis, A. (2018). Editorial: Neuromuscular Training and Adaptations in Youth Athletes. Frontiers in Physiology, 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2018.01264
Granata, C., Jamnick, N. A., & Bishop, D. J. (2018). Training-Induced Changes in Mitochondrial Content and Respiratory Function in Human Skeletal Muscle. Sports Medicine, 48(8), 1809–1828. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-018-0936-y
Granero-Gallegos, A., González-Quílez, A., Plews, D., & Carrasco-Poyatos, M. (2020). HRV-Based Training for Improving VO2max in Endurance Athletes. A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(21), 7999. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17217999
Guntoro, T. S., Sutoro, Putra, M. F. P., Kurdi, Németh, Z., & Setiawan, E. (2023). The role of anthropometry, physical, psychological and personality for elite athletes in competitive sports. Pedagogy of Physical Culture and Sports, 27(4), 331–339. https://doi.org/10.15561/26649837.2023.0409
Haugen, T., Seiler, S., Sandbakk, Ø., & Tønnessen, E. (2019). The Training and Development of Elite Sprint Performance: an Integration of Scientific and Best Practice Literature. Sports Medicine - Open, 5(1), 44. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40798-019-0221-0
Hirwana, P., Alnedral, A., Komain, A., Padli, P., Zarya, F., Sabillah, M. I., & Munir, A. (2023). The Effect of Command Training Methods, Exploration and Motivation Training Methods on the Smash Ability Results of Junior Sepak Takraw Athletes. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Analysis, 06(02). https://doi.org/10.47191/ijmra/v6-i2-08
Impellizzeri, F. M., Marcora, S. M., & Coutts, A. J. (2019). Internal and External Training Load: 15 Years On. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 14(2), 270–273. https://doi.org/10.1123/ijspp.2018-0935
Johansen, J. M., Støa, E. M., Sunde, A., Rønnestad, B. R., Helgerud, J., & Støren, Ø. (2025). Elite Aerobic Endurance Performance: Is It Really Related to Lactate Threshold Expressed Relative to Peak Oxygen Uptake? International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 20(6), 875–879. https://doi.org/10.1123/ijspp.2024-0528
Joyner, M. J. (2025). Training Elite Athletes: 50 Years of Thinking About Practice and Research for Endurance Sports. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 35(1). https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.70013
Jufrianis, J., Henjilito, R., Hernawan, H., Sukiri, S., Sukur, A., Abidin, D., Karakauki, M., Syed Ali, S. K., & Pratama, K. W. (2021). The Effect of Knowledge Level (IQ) and Physical Conditions (Power, Flexibility and Coordination) on Smash Technique Learning Skill in Sepak Takraw. Physical Education Theory and Methodology, 21(3), 264–272. https://doi.org/10.17309/tmfv.2021.3.10
Ma, X., Cao, Z., Zhu, Z., Chen, X., Wen, D., & Cao, Z. (2023). VO2max (VO2peak) in elite athletes under high-intensity interval training: A meta-analysis. Heliyon, 9(6), e16663. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e16663
Montero, D., & Lundby, C. (2017). Refuting the myth of non‐response to exercise training: ‘non‐responders’ do respond to higher dose of training. The Journal of Physiology, 595(11), 3377–3387. https://doi.org/10.1113/JP273480
Montull, L., Slapšinskaitė-Dackevičienė, A., Kiely, J., Hristovski, R., & Balagué, N. (2022). Integrative Proposals of Sports Monitoring: Subjective Outperforms Objective Monitoring. Sports Medicine - Open, 8(1), 41. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40798-022-00432-z
Olmos-Vega, F. M., Stalmeijer, R. E., Varpio, L., & Kahlke, R. (2023). A practical guide to reflexivity in qualitative research: AMEE Guide No. 149. Medical Teacher, 45(3), 241–251. https://doi.org/10.1080/0142159X.2022.2057287
Panganıban, T. (2024). SPIKES: Skills and Performance Inventory as Kinesiological Assessment for Empowerment of Sepaktakraw Athletes. International Journal of Disabilities Sports and Health Sciences, 7(4), 765–774. https://doi.org/10.33438/ijdshs.1458988
Pasic, M., & Copic, N. (2026). Performance profiles of professional male beach soccer players: Evidence from the Serbian national team. Sportis. Scientific Journal of School Sport, Physical Education and Psychomotricity, 12(3), 1–27. https://doi.org/10.55040/8nkzrs86
Rebelo, A., Bishop, C., Thorpe, R. T., Turner, A. N., & Gabbett, T. J. (2026). Monitoring Training Effects in Athletes: A Multidimensional Framework for Decision-Making. Sports Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-026-02417-4
Ryba, T. V., Wiltshire, G., North, J., & Ronkainen, N. J. (2022). Developing mixed methods research in sport and exercise psychology: potential contributions of a critical realist perspective. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 20(1), 147–167. https://doi.org/10.1080/1612197X.2020.1827002
Sandford, G. N., Laursen, P. B., & Buchheit, M. (2021). Anaerobic Speed/Power Reserve and Sport Performance: Scientific Basis, Current Applications and Future Directions. Sports Medicine, 51(10), 2017–2028. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-021-01523-9
Skorski, S., & Hecksteden, A. (2021). Coping With the “Small Sample–Small Relevant Effects” Dilemma in Elite Sport Research. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 16(11), 1559–1560. https://doi.org/10.1123/ijspp.2021-0467
Srivastava, S., Tamrakar, S., Nallathambi, N., Vrindavanam, S. A., Prasad, R., & Kothari, R. (2024). Assessment of Maximal Oxygen Uptake (VO2 Max) in Athletes and Nonathletes Assessed in Sports Physiology Laboratory. Cureus. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.61124
Suchomel, T. J., Nimphius, S., Bellon, C. R., & Stone, M. H. (2018). The Importance of Muscular Strength: Training Considerations. Sports Medicine, 48(4), 765–785. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-018-0862-z
Wiesinger, H.-P., Stöggl, T. L., Haller, N., Blumkaitis, J., Strepp, T., Kilzer, F., Schmuttermair, A., & Hopkins, W. G. (2025). Meta-analyses of the effects of high-intensity interval training in elite athletes—part I: mean effects on various performance measures. Frontiers in Physiology, 15. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2024.1486526
Zentgraf, K., Musculus, L., Reichert, L., Will, L., Roffler, A., Hacker, S., Hilpisch, C., Wiedenbrüg, K., Cermak, N., Lenz, C., de Haan, H., Mutz, M., Wiese, L., Al-Ghezi, A., Raab, M., & Krüger, K. (2024). Advocating individual-based profiles of elite athletes to capture the multifactorial nature of elite sports performance. Scientific Reports, 14(1), 26351. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-76977-8
Zulkifli, Z., Yudanto, Y., Alficandra, A., Makorohim, M. F., Henjilito, R., Longakit, J., & Farooque, S. (2025). Bridging Physical and Psychological Factors in Sepak Takraw: A Structural Equation Model. Retos, 66, 1109–1119. https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v66.114277
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Victoria Eka Prasetyo, Siti Baitul Mukarromah, Tri Aji, Fatkhur Rozi, Burhan Basyiruddin (Autor/a)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
The works published in this journal are subject to the following terms:
The author retains the economic rights (copyright) of the published works and grants the journal the right of first publication.
The works are published in the electronic edition of the journal under a Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial–ShareAlike license. They may be copied, used, distributed, transmitted, and publicly displayed, provided that: (i) authorship and the original source of publication (journal, publisher, and URL of the work) are cited; (ii) they are not used for commercial purposes; (iii) the existence and specifications of this license are indicated.
Self-archiving conditions. Authors are permitted and encouraged to disseminate electronically the post-print versions (publisher’s version), as this facilitates earlier circulation and dissemination, potentially increasing citation and reach within the academic community. Authors may also deposit their articles in repositories and other platforms that support the dissemination of information, provided that the version used is the post-print (publisher’s version). RoMEO color: Blue.
