A coach does not need a GPS dashboard to notice that a player had a demanding week. A Saturday match, a school game on Monday, an intense club session on Tuesday and another team’s practice on Wednesday all count, even when only one of those activities appears on the coach’s plan.
GPS can describe parts of the external load: distance, speed bands and other movement measures, depending on the device. Many grassroots, school and youth programmes cannot afford it. They can still build a useful monitoring routine by recording what players did, asking how hard it felt and noting meaningful changes in behaviour.
The key is to be honest about the distinction: session RPE and observation do not recreate GPS data. They answer different questions. Together, they can help a coach spot unusual demands, open a conversation and adjust the next session.
Start with one consistent question
RPE means rating of perceived exertion. After training, ask each player privately: “How hard was the whole session for you?” Use the same simple 0–10 scale every time. Explain the anchors: 0 is rest, 2–3 feels easy, 5 moderate, 7 hard and 10 the hardest effort the player can imagine. These are teaching anchors, not universal boundaries for safe training.
Ask about the entire session, not just the final sprint or the most enjoyable game. Record the response after the session, ideally at a consistent time about 15–30 minutes later where practical. Avoid letting one player announce a score that influences everyone else. For younger players, keep the wording concrete and check that they understand the scale; a simple private verbal answer is enough.
Then note how many minutes that player actually participated. Calculate a simple session load:
If a player rates a 60-minute session as 7, the result is 420 arbitrary units. Another player in the same session might rate it 4 and record 240 units. The number is a personal tracking aid, not a measure of metres run or an injury forecast. Use the same scale and duration rule throughout the season so comparisons remain meaningful.
What to record alongside RPE
A single score hides the kind of work performed. A long tactical session and a shorter high-intensity game can produce similar totals. Keep a small coach’s log of the session and the player’s exposure:
- Participation: full session, partial session, match minutes, or absent; include other school or club activity reported by the player.
- Session type: technical practice, small-sided games, repeated transitions, large-area game, match, recovery or strength work.
- High-demand moments: repeated long runs, sprints, sharp stops and changes of direction, duels, jumping and heavy contact. Use plain observations, not guessed sprint counts.
- Context: heat, travel, short recovery between matches and an unusually small squad.
- Player check-in: sleep, energy, muscle soreness and any pain or illness, using brief, respectful questions.
The log gives an RPE number its football context. If Tuesday’s load is higher than usual, you can look back and see whether the cause was a longer game, repeated transitions, an extra match or a player returning after time away.
Watch behaviour, then ask
Observation can identify a change worth discussing. A player may stop making recovery runs they usually make, arrive late to actions, struggle to repeat effort, move guardedly, or seem unusually withdrawn. None of those behaviours proves fatigue. They can reflect tactics, confidence, illness, pain, stress or something else.
Describe the behaviour rather than assigning a label: “I noticed you slowed after the third transition and protected your left leg. How are you feeling?” Listen to the player’s account. If pain, illness or a concerning movement pattern appears, involve the appropriate medical or safeguarding support. Do not use a load score to clear an injured player for training.
A one-page weekly log
A notebook, paper sheet or basic spreadsheet is enough. Keep the sheet short enough that staff will actually use it. One row per player per session can capture the essentials:
| Player / date | Minutes | RPE | Load | Exposure and observation | Next action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Example: A / Tue | 60 | 7 | 420 | Transition games; reported school match Monday; energy lower than usual | Check in before Thursday; adjust if needed |
| Example: B / Tue | 45 | 5 | 225 | Returned to partial training; movement looked comfortable | Review planned progression with support staff |
Illustrative entries only. The same team session can feel very different to individual players.
At the end of the week, sum each player’s recorded session loads and scan the activity notes. Compare the player with their own recent pattern, while accounting for missing school or club sessions. Avoid treating a teammate’s number as the correct target. If your records are incomplete, mark that clearly rather than pretending the weekly total covers everything.
What decisions can this support?
Suppose two U16 players completed the same 70-minute session. One reports RPE 4; the other reports RPE 8, has played a school match the previous day and mentions poor sleep. The second player’s number is a prompt to ask more questions. You might reduce that player’s repeated high-speed work, use a shorter role in a game, prioritize recovery or seek medical input if symptoms warrant it. You would not simply remove the player because “560 units is too high.”
Across the team, a consistently demanding week may suggest shortening the next session, reducing the number of high-intensity bouts or separating tactical learning from repeated conditioning. A low RPE across several sessions may mean the intended physical challenge was absent, or that players have adapted. Check the session objective and match demands before changing anything.
Keep the system proportionate
- Before training: ask whether the player feels ready and whether they have pain, illness or recent activity the staff may not know about.
- During training: note actual participation, practice type and unusual movement or behaviour.
- After training: collect a private 0–10 whole-session RPE and calculate RPE × minutes.
- Once a week: compare each player’s pattern and discuss unexpected changes with the player and relevant staff.
- For the next session: record one decision and see whether the response improves.
Be clear with players that honest answers are used to support them, not to punish them or decide selection automatically. Keep health information limited to staff who need it. With children, use an age-appropriate explanation and follow the programme’s safeguarding and medical processes.
The limits matter
Session RPE is influenced by fitness, stress, sleep, illness and the player’s interpretation of the scale. It cannot tell you how many sprints occurred, how far someone ran or exactly how much mechanical stress they experienced. A player can also report a modest whole-session score after a short session containing a few very fast efforts. That is why the activity log and conversation matter.
There is no magic weekly number that guarantees safety or predicts injury. Avoid rigid red, amber and green rules based on one score. Look for changes, consider context, ask the player and use professional judgment. Where medical concerns arise, the appropriate health professional should lead that decision.
The most useful monitoring system is the one that helps you notice, ask and respond.
Without GPS, coaches can still manage training with care: record exposure, listen to effort, observe behaviour and adjust the next football experience.
Further reading: IOC consensus on load and injury risk · Youth soccer study on session RPE and external load · Women’s soccer study comparing session RPE and GPS measures