The Effects of Mental Fatigue on Psychophysiological Responses, Mood States, and Archery Shooting Performance Under a Simulated Archery Competition: A Randomized Cross-Over Study

Background/Objective: Mental fatigue (MF) significantly impairs psychomotor performance in dynamic sports; however, its specific impact on closed-skill precision-demanding tasks remains underexplored. This study investigated the acute effects of experimentally induced MF exposure on psychophysiological responses, mood states, and archery shooting performance. Methods: Fifteen well-trained male compound-bow archers participated in a randomized crossover study. Participants completed an MF condition (30 min modified Stroop task) and a control condition (CON; passive viewing of a neutral documentary), separated by a 72 h washout period. Continuous heart rate (HR), archery shooting accuracy, ratings of perceived exertion (RPE), rating scale of mental effort (RSME), state anxiety (VAS-A), mood states, and exercise enjoyment scale (EES) were assessed. Results: The Stroop task successfully induced subjective MF. Consequently, shooting accuracy significantly deteriorated in the MF condition compared to that in the CON condition (p < 0.001; g = 0.731). While HR and VAS-A remained consistent across conditions, the MF condition elicited a significant increase in RPE (p = 0.007; g = 0.836) and RSME (p = 0.010; g = 0.794). Furthermore, MF significantly increased feelings of anger and fatigue while drastically reducing PACES (p < 0.001; g = 1.530). Conclusions: Acute MF significantly degrades fine motor accuracy in precision sports. The pronounced dissociation between elevated RPE and stable peripheral physiological strain suggests that performance decline is driven by top-down cognitive burden rather than physiological limitations. Therefore, systematic monitoring of cognitive load is crucial for optimizing performance in precision sports.