Table 1.

Perceptions about the psychological demands of elite rugby sevens.

Perceived psychological demands	Tournament structure	Ten tournaments on five continents	Long season
			Traveling for 2.5 months/year
		Match structure	Use every opportunity
			Mistake are costly
			Three matches per day
			Turnaround between matches
			Day 2 opponents: short notice
		Travel	Economy class flights
			Time zones/jet lag
			Fatigue, sleep difficulties
			Adapt to climates and cultures
	Resilience	Growth mind-set	Exposure to adversity
			Positive reaction to adversity
			Bounce back after setbacks
		Raise own standards	Comparison and competition with opposition and teammates
		Injuries	High-collision, high risk sport
			Inherent part of the game
			Physical rehabilitation
			Psycho-social recovery
	Cope with physicality	High training load	3–5 high intensity sessions/day
			Quality over quantity
		Push physical barriers
		Play through niggles
		Monitor recovery	Daily rating on phone app
	Perform when fatigued	Reduce negative effect	Peak conditioning
			Use various recovery strategies
		Maintain concentration
	Perform under pressure	High expectations and performance standards	Self (internal competition)
			From others
		Consistency	Thrive on pressure