Existing studies have predominantly examined the isolated effects of physical or cognitive fatigue on athletic performance, yet the synergistic interplay of combined physical-mental fatigue in competitive badminton remains underexplored. This study addresses this gap by investigating how dual-channel fatigue—simultaneously induced through neuromuscular and cognitive demands—impacts the forehand jump smash, a critical offensive technique characterized by high-speed execution and precision. The purpose is to quantify the compound effects of mixed fatigue on smash performance and elucidate underlying neuromuscular-cognitive coupling mechanisms. Method: Twenty-four national-level badminton athletes (20 males, 4 females; age 21.8 ± 1.9 years) participated in a single-factor repeated-measures experiment. A graded neuromuscular-cognitive dual-channel fatigue protocol (baseline, mild, moderate, severe) was implemented, integrating physical tasks (vertical jumps, sprints, court drills) with cognitive stressors (randomized target hitting under time constraints). Multidimensional metrics—subjective fatigue (RPE, VAFS), countermovement jump (CMJ) height, radar-measured smash velocity, and motion-captured accuracy—were synchronized. Data were analyzed using mixed-model ANOVA, linear mixed-effects models, and Pearson correlations to assess fatigue progression and performance outcomes. Progressive fatigue induction led to significant increases in RPE (0 → 7.25) and VAFS (0 → 7.96; both p < 0.001) and a 35.49% decline in CMJ height (41.00 → 27.86 cm, p < 0.001). Smash velocity decreased by 10.6% (198.21 → 177.21 km/h, p < 0.001), and accuracy declined by 46.1% (16.92 → 9.12 points, p < 0.001). Speed-accuracy trade-offs emerged under moderate-to-severe fatigue (r = -0.58 to -0.53, p < 0.01), indicating compromised motor control and decision-making. This study demonstrates that physical-mental mixed fatigue synergistically degrades smash performance beyond additive single-modality effects, highlighting nonlinear interactions between neuromuscular and cognitive systems. These findings contrast with prior studies isolating fatigue types, emphasizing the necessity of dual-channel fatigue monitoring in training and competition. Limitations include sample homogeneity and gender imbalance, which may limit generalizability. Future research should explore dynamic load regulation, sex-specific responses, and real-time neurophysiological monitoring to optimize anti-fatigue strategies and injury prevention.
Wang et al. (Thu,) studied this question.