Training-load monitoring system applied to combat athletes
López Córdoba, Mathías & Madruga Santomé, Guillermo & Amboage, Paulo & Ramón-Ávalos, Álvaro & Perez, Diego & Moreno, Natalia & Carballeira, Eduardo. (2025). Training-load monitoring system applied to combat athletes: A low-cost practical proposal for young judokas.
ABSTRACT
How can a digital monitoring system bridge the gap between scientific evidence and daily practice in combat sports, fostering sustainable and safe development of young athletes? This practical proposal was designed as a low-cost monitoring system following Gabbett’s four pillars; External Load; Internal Load; Wellness and Performance (Gabbett, et al., 2017) using free Google tools. It was developed using free, open-access Google tools: Looker Studio for data visualization, Google Sheets for data management, and Google Forms for athlete input. It collects wellness, training load, and performance metrics through short questionnaires, integrates them into dashboards, and enables real-time tracking to support individualized training and recovery. The system allowed the collection and visualization of key variables across the four pillars, helping coaches detect discrepancies between expected and actual performance. It supports informed, individualized training decisions, optimizing load progression and recovery. Although still in early use, it shows potential utility, with future plans to add judo-specific tests and technical–tactical assessments. The monitoring system improved understanding of athletes’ progression and discrepancies in performance, supporting data-driven training adjustments. Beyond enabling coaches to fine-tune workload distribution and recovery strategies, it provided valuable insights into how athletes responded to different training stimuli, helping to maintain internal load within safe and effective thresholds. Preliminary use indicates that the system can facilitate more sustainable athlete development by reducing the risks of overtraining and injury. While formal data analysis is still pending, early evidence suggests its promising utility and highlights its potential as a scalable, evidence-based tool adaptable to broader combat sport contexts.
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