The effects of fatigue on the relation between ocular pursuit and interceptive performance in soccer experts

Accuracy and duration of ocular pursuit of a target object have been linked to interceptive performance. Yet, previous assessments have not examined this relationship in the context of fatigue. We assessed the relationship between ocular pursuit and interceptive performance under peripheral and central + peripheral fatigue conditions. We determined ventilatory thresholds in n = 17 soccer experts using a ramp incremental protocol to individually tailor 45 minutes of cycling in the heavy exercise domain. Throughout the central + peripheral fatigue exercise, participants completed a modified Stroop task, known to induce subjective central fatigue and task performance decrements after 45 minutes. We used mobile eye-tracking to measure ocular pursuit accuracy and duration, and two external cameras to determine 3D positions of the ball and foot during an interceptive soccer task before and after exercise using deep learning algorithms. Using linear mixed models, we found a positive relationship between ocular pursuit accuracy and interceptive performance on a trial-by-trial basis before exercise. This relationship disappeared following exercise, suggesting a fatigue-driven change in gaze strategy. Despite this change in the gaze-performance relationship, interceptive performance on the soccer-specific task was maintained after exercise irrespective of addition in exercise cognitive demands.