Development and validity of the subjective training quality scale.

Area of Science:

• Sports Science
• Exercise Physiology
• Psychology of Sport

Background:

• Monitoring training quality is crucial for athlete development.
• Existing methods may not capture the athlete's subjective experience of training.
• A need exists for a validated tool to assess perceived training quality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To define the constructs of training quality.
• To develop and validate a subjective scale for measuring training quality.
• To assess the scale's reliability and validity in elite and sub-elite athletes.

Main Methods:

• Semi-structured interviews with swimmers to define training quality constructs (physical, technical, mental).
• Development of the Subjective Training Quality (STQ) scale based on identified constructs.
• Validation using Cronbach's alpha for internal consistency, histogram analysis for face validity, and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) in 252 athletes across eight sports.

Main Results:

• Thematic analysis identified physical, technical, and mental aspects as key training quality constructs.
• The STQ scale demonstrated excellent internal consistency (α = 0.85) and face validity.
• Confirmatory factor analysis showed excellent model fit (RMSEA < 0.01, SRMR = 0.00), confirming the scale's structure.

Conclusions:

• The Subjective Training Quality (STQ) scale is a reliable and valid instrument for monitoring athlete training quality.
• The STQ scale adequately represents athletes' perceptions of physical, technical, and mental training aspects.
• This scale can complement traditional monitoring tools, offering deeper insights into training responses and informing training prescription.