Failure adaptation: An investigation of the stress response process in sport

A comprehensive model that defines the infrastructure of numerous variables contributing to failure adaptation was evaluated in the present study using a case study approach. Failure adaptation was viewed as (a) a uniquely individualized phenomenon, (b) a continuum of individualized responses rather than a single concept, and (c) the result of an extremely comprehensive and compact occurrence of events, situations, and personal dispositions rather than the direct result of an excessive training load and/or minimal recovery time. Fourteen (N=14) elite cyclists were closely observed and queried for 20 weeks. The method of observation used in this study involved a contemporary nonparticipant style within a natural setting. Each participant responded to several questionnaires regarding one's personality traits, mood states, stress appraisal, coping, and response alterations. Interviews were also conducted to obtain a deeper insight into each cyclist's personal situation, perceptions, coping responses, and adaptational state. Support for the utility of the stress response model was evidenced. Multivariant Stressor variables were observed and identified as pertinent causes of failing and failed states of adaptation. Recommendations are made for instructors to prevent the destructive effects of focusing solely on the training and racing load. Psychological and physiological Stressors in conjunction with psychological states should be considered interactively and integrated in future studies to account for failure adaptation in athletes.