Since getting back into Touch Rugby—a sport that requires sprinting, rapid changes in direction, and a small degree of physical contact—I’ve been adhering to the principle: not above 70%.
Yes, I could run, attack, defend, and play at 100%, but I don’t. I throttle my effort to 70%.
The risk of injury is non-linear. My estimate is a large proportion of injuries happen in the 90-100% zone. So operating at a lower range of intensity significantly reduces this risk.
It’s not about being timid, or playing in a half-hearted way, it’s about staying in the game.
Avoiding injury means I can continue playing for a long time: week after week, year after year. That’s far more important than winning any in-the-moment point.