Top-up running rigs the numbers and short-changes players

We’ve all been there: it's the end of a session, and the GPS data says the team's high speed running volume is too low. Solution? Gather the players, run a few box-to-box sprints... boom, the numbers look great. We are happy to have spotted the missing volume and play our part in keeping the players fit. Job done. Or is it? Top-ups are like putting a band-aid on a broken bone. They make things look better, but they don’t solve the real issue. Sports are complex, and so are players' load and the resulting fatigue. The game itself is not only physically fatiguing, but cognitively, coordinatively...