The Effects of Physiological Demands on Visual Search Behaviours During 2 vs. 1 + GK Game Situations in Football: An in-situ Approach.

We examined the effect of physiological workload on gaze behaviour during defensive performance in 2 vs. 1 +goalkeeper game situations in football. Twenty-two players were assigned to either a high- or low-performing group based on a validated measure of tactical performance. A total of 12 game sequences (trials) were presented under high- and low-workload conditions. At the end of each sequence, participants were asked to indicate their perceived exertion using the Rating Scale of Mental Effort and the Borg Scale. The low- and high-workload conditions were defined when the players achieved 60 and 90% of their maximal heart rate, respectively, as per their performance in the Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test. Visual search behaviours were recorded using Tobii Pro eye-movement registration glasses. Players reported higher rates of perceived exertion on the high- compared to low-workload condition. Participants in the low-performing group increased their average fixation duration and decreased the number of fixations and number of fixation locations from the low- to high-workload conditions. The low- and high-performing groups displayed different visual search strategies with regards the areas of interest fixated upon. Participants in the high-performing group focused on the SpaceFrontPlayer, followed by Ball, and AnotherOpponent. The low-performing group spent more time focusing on the SpaceFrontPlayer and SpacePlayer than Ball and AnotherOpponent. It appears that physiological workload and tactical expertise interact in constraining visual search behaviours in football players. Coaches and practitioners should consider ways to manipulate individual and task constraints while attending to the close interplay between physiological workload, visual behaviour, and tactical performance during practise.

Water Polo Offensive Methods after the 2018 FINA Rules Update.

Water polo is a team sport that has been suffering rule changes aiming for a more attractive game. Our goal was to unveil whether different offensive playing styles or methods were adopted by elite national teams from Eastern Europe and from other world countries after the new rules framework was applied at the 2019 FINA World Championship. Additionally, we questioned whether those rules induced a more dynamic game. A total of 648 offensive sequences from games contested by the top-six ranked national squads were analysed. Descriptive statistics, parametric and nonparametric tests were computed, and the effect size was used. The eastern Europeans were the tallest (t (76) = −4.081; p < 0.001, d = 0.42) and the Hungarians were higher than Italians (p = 0.005, dz = −0.41). Offensive time length differed between teams (H (5) = 30.50, p < 0.001) with Serbia being the fastest (Mdn = 22 s). In successful attacks without extra time, Italy was quicker than Spain (17.5 vs. 25.0 s; p = 0.031, dz = −0.36) scoring 30% of their total goals under 20 s, while Australia up to 24% and Croatia, Hungary and Spain ≤ 16.0%. When power-play occurred, the teams' pass action was different (H (5) = 15.99, p < 0.007), with Italy performing more passes than counterparts, especially Serbia (Mdn = 13 vs. 9, respectively; p= 0.003, dz = 0.20) and with the exception of Hungary. Through fast play sequences, Italy, Serbia and Australia scored up to 33% of their goals, while Spain, Croatia, and Hungary scored ≤ 15%. The power-play contributed to ≥50% of teams' goals, except for Spain and Australia (48 and 45%, respectively). Playing styles commonly attributed to Eastern vs. non-Eastern Europeans and other worldwide national teams such as Australia were not confirmed. However, offensive trends were perceived and described for the first time, and some base guidelines were suggested to distinguish the static or positional vs. a more dynamic playing model. Rule changes did not seem to induce the expected effects on game dynamics.

Talent Development in Sport Requires Athlete Enrichment: Contemporary Insights from a Nonlinear Pedagogy and the Athletic Skills Model.

Traditional talent identification and development programs have sought to identify and select the most promising children as athletes of the future, to provide them with specialised training and preparation for expert performance in sport from an early age. Traditional models of talent identification and development tend to be linear, emphasising the numbers of hours spent in specialised training. However, major concerns have been raised by evidence emerging on psycho-emotional and physical issues with early specialisation programmes, and negative associations with wellbeing and mental health. More contemporary models of talent development emphasise a deep integration of specialised training with more general enrichment of athleticism. This integrative process enhances self-regulation processes of perception and action, as well as emotional control and social interactions, all of which underpin sports performance at elite and sub-elite levels. Here, we discuss insights and principles of contemporary models of pedagogy, such as Nonlinear Pedagogy (NLP) and the Athletic Skills Model (ASM), which offer valuable frameworks for talent development. We conclude by considering implications of adopting such principles for developing athlete functionality in specific performance environments.

How do Elite Soccer Teams Perform to Ball Recovery? Effects of Tactical Modelling and Contextual Variables on the Defensive Patterns of Play.

Researchers in soccer match analysis have been using limited procedures to express the dynamics of the game and mainly focus on the attack. Therefore, the aims of this paper were to detect the successful teams' ball recovery defensive patterns of play and study the influence of tactical modelling, halves, match status, opponent quality and stage competition on those patterns. The sample consisted of 1323 situations of defensive ball possession of the semi-finalist teams from the 2014 FIFA World Cup play-offs, which was collected by a valid and reliable observational instrument (Soccer-Defence). The Kruskal-Wallis H, Mann-Whitney U, Chi-square, Z-, multinomial logistic regression tests and sequential analysis (p < .05; z > 1.96) were used accordingly to test the differences and associations among and within teams of tactical modelling, tactical-technical behaviours and contextual variables to ball recovery. We found that among teams ball recovery differed in duration; H(3) = 14.958, p = .002. Germany were more likely to perform ball recovery by the goalkeeper than Argentina (p = .04; OR = 0.47) or the Netherlands (p < .05; OR = 0.50). Nevertheless, Brazil was the least likely to concede a shot off goal. Teams facing lower-ranked opponents were 0.63 times less likely to perform ball recovery by interception (p <.001). Additionally, sequential analysis illustrated that teams varied between central and lateral high-pressure zones before ball recovery in lower zones of the field. Finally, coaches could use such findings to design training exercises, create their own style of play, and set strategies.

Water Polo Shooting Performance: Differences Between World Championship Winning, Drawing and Losing Teams.

Shooting performance of globally ranked winning, drawing and losing water polo teams was compared, and technical and tactical success indicators were identified. In total, 886 shots from a world championship final round were videotaped and teams were clustered for a performance evaluation (considering differences between game outcomes). Shooting speeds were assessed by a radar, with higher values observed at further distances from the goal than in the central area close to the goal (p ≤ 0.00, ES: 2.54). Shots tended to be more frequent from the central corridor, with ≤50% and >75% relative shot efficacy attained from field areas 3 and 6; winning teams obtained better results. Furthermore, winners had greater success than losers when shooting from field area 2 (p ≤ 0.04, ES: 1.13) and towards the goal zone 2 (p < 0.03, ES: 1.10). They also attained better efficacy regarding shots towards goal zone 1, had better efficacy on the part of centre-forwards (p ≤ 0.05, ES: 0.85-1.27), and were more effective regarding shots without a frontal defensive block. In addition, contingency analysis highlighted shots performed from field area 6, without a defensive block, toward the bottom left goal corner, and through man-up play as success indicators (all for p ≤ 0.005). We concluded that world-level winning teams homogeneously distributed their shot opportunities at the second offensive line with balanced efficacy, creating variability and uncertainty in their opponents' defensive action. Elite level players must be capable of interpreting game situations with intelligence and proper decision making. This information may be useful for improving teams performance.

A multilevel hypernetworks approach to capture properties of team synergies at higher complexity levels.

Previous work has sought to explain team coordination using insights from theories of synergy formation in collective systems. Under this theoretical rationale, players are conceptualised as independent degrees of freedom, whose interactions can become coupled to produce team synergies, guided by shared affordances. Previous conceptualisation from this perspective has identified key properties of synergies, the measurement of which can reveal important aspects of team dynamics. However, some team properties have been measured through implementation of a variety of methods, while others have only been loosely addressed. Here, we show how multilevel hypernetworks comprise an innovative methodological framework that can successfully capture key properties of synergies, clarifying conceptual issues concerning team collective behaviours based on team synergy formation. Therefore, this study investigated whether different synergy properties could be operationally related utilising hypernetworks. Thus, we constructed a multilevel model composed of three levels of analysis. Level N captured changes in tactical configurations of teams during competitive performance. While Team A changed from an initial 1-4-3-3 to a 1-4-4-2 tactical configuration, Team B altered the dynamics of the midfielders. At Level N + 1, the 2 vs. 1 (1 vs. 2) and 1 vs. 1 were the most frequently emerging simplices, both behind and ahead of the ball line for both competing teams. Level N + 2 allowed us to identify the prominent players (a6, a8, a12, a13) and their interactions, within and between simplices, before a goal was scored. These findings showed that different synergy properties can be assessed through hypernetworks, which can provide a coherent theoretical understanding of competitive team performance.

Influence of Situational Variables, Team Formation, and Playing Position on Match Running Performance and Social Network Analysis in Brazilian Professional Soccer Players.

Aquino, R, Carling, C, Palucci Vieira, LH, Martins, G, Jabor, G, Machado, J, Santiago, P, Garganta, J, and Puggina, E. Influence of situational variables, team formation, and playing position on match running performance and social network analysis of brazilian professional soccer players. J Strength Cond Res 34(3): 808-817, 2020-The purpose of this study was to investigate the independent and interactive effects of situational variables, opposition team formation, and playing position on running performance and network analysis in Brazilian professional soccer players (n = 22). Global positioning system technology was used to determine total distance covered, mean speed, maximum running speed, and distance covered in 6 speed ranges. Social network analysis was used to assess interpersonal coordination (team interactions characterized as successful passes [n = 3,033] between teammates). Observations of match running performance (n = 129) and network analysis (n = 108) were obtained. The main results were: (a) no interactive effects between team formation and playing position were observed for running and network variables (unclear to possibly); (b) matches played at home or against "weaker" opponents presented greater running demands and individual/global metrics of network analysis (likely to almost certain); (c) match outcome demonstrated influence only for running performance; matches in which the reference team won resulted in higher values than in matches lost; (d) when the reference team competed in 1-4-4-2 formation, this resulted in greater running demands than 1-4-2-3-1 formation (likely to almost certain); (e) reduced values of running performance variables were reported in central defenders compared with other positions. Central/external midfielders reported greater closeness/betweenness centrality, outdegree, and eigenvector compared with central/external defenders and forwards (likely to almost certain). The results from this study provide practical information to potentially impact on physical, tactical, and technical training.

A multilevel hypernetworks approach to capture meso-level synchronisation processes in football.

Understanding team behaviours in sports performance requires understanding the interdependencies established between their levels of complexity (micro-meso-macro). Previously, most studies examined interactions emerging at micro- and macro-levels, thus neglecting those emerging at a meso-level (reveals connections between player and team levels, depicted by the emergence of coordination in specific sub-groups of players-simplices during performance). We addressed this issue using the multilevel hypernetworks approach, adopting a cluster-phase method, to record player-simplice synchronies in two performance conditions where the number, size and location of goals were manipulated (first-condition: 6 × 6 + 4 mini-goals; second-condition: Gk + 6 × 6 + Gk). We investigated meso-level coordination tendencies, as a function of ball-possession (attacking/defending), field-direction (longitudinal/lateral) and teams (Team A/Team B). Generally, large synergistic relations and more stable patterns were observed in the longitudinal direction of the field than the lateral direction for both teams, and for both game phases in the first condition. The second condition displayed higher synchronies and more stable patterns in the lateral direction than the longitudinal plane for both teams, and for both game phases. Results suggest: (i) usefulness of hypernetworks in assessing synchronisation of teams at a meso-level; (ii) coaches may consider manipulating these task constraints to develop levels of local synchronies within teams.

Exploiting Bi-Directional Self-Organizing Tendencies in Team Sports: The Role of the Game Model and Tactical Principles of Play.

Research has revealed how inherent self-organizing tendencies in athletes and sports teams can be exploited to facilitate emergence of dynamical patterns in synergy formation in sports teams. Here, we discuss how game models, and associated tactical principles of play, may be implemented to constrain co-existing global-to-local and local-to-global self-organization tendencies in team sports players during training and performance. Understanding how to harness the continuous interplay between these co-existing, bi-directional, and coordination tendencies is key to shaping system behaviors in sports training. Training programs are traditionally dominated by designs, which shape the self-organizing tendencies of players and teams at a global-to-local scale by coaches imposing a tactical/strategical plan with associated tactical principles of play. Nevertheless, recent research suggests that performers also need to be provided with opportunities to explore self-organizing tendencies that emerge at the local-to-global scale in training. This directional tendency in synergy formation can be facilitated by players being given opportunities to actively explore different adaptive and innovative performance solutions, coherent with principles of play circumscribed in an overarching game model. Developing methods (coaching sessions rooted on principles of dynamical systems theory that foment the development of such local-to-global relations) to exploit the continuous interplay between these co-existing tendencies within sports teams may promote more effective and efficient athlete skill training programs, in addition to enhancing performance.

Changing Rules and Configurations During Soccer Small-Sided and Conditioned Games. How Does It Impact Teams' Tactical Behavior?

The present study aimed to investigate how team's tactical behavior varies within and between age categories in different Small-Sided and Conditioned Games' configurations and conditions. Twenty non-elite youth male soccer players (U15, n = 10, mean age = 13.5 ± 1.2 years; U17, n = 10, mean age = 16.3 ± 0.5 years) were selected. Thirty-six Small-Sided and Conditioned Games (SSCG) were played in both categories, namely three Representative SSCG (R-SSCG), three Maintaining Ball Possession Games (MBPG) and three Progression to Target Games (PTG) performed for each configuration (Gk+3vs3+Gk and Gk+4vs4+Gk). Teams' tactical behavior was analyzed based on simple and composite performance indicators, as well as through Lag Sequential Analysis. Rules manipulation and SSCG configurations influenced teams' tactical behavior on both categories, but in different ways. Teams composed by younger players presented greater difficulties in MBPG played in smaller games configuration, while Gk+4vs4+Gk configuration can be used to enhance teams' tactical performance of younger players in R-SSCG and MBPG conditions. Moreover, increasing rules manipulations appeared to negatively impact on teams' exploratory behavior. Therefore, practitioners should carefully manipulate key constraints to adapt task demands to players' age category and training session's goals in order to enhance tactical performance.

The Role of Hypernetworks as a Multilevel Methodology for Modelling and Understanding Dynamics of Team Sports Performance.

Despite its importance in many academic fields, traditional scientific methodologies struggle to cope with analysis of interactions in many complex adaptive systems, including team sports. Inherent features of such systems (e.g. emergent behaviours) require a more holistic approach to measurement and analysis for understanding system properties. Complexity sciences encompass a holistic approach to research on collective adaptive systems, which integrates concepts and tools from other theories and methods (e.g. ecological dynamics and social network analysis) to explain functioning of such systems in their natural environments. Multilevel networks and hypernetworks comprise novel and potent methodological tools for assessing team dynamics at more sophisticated levels of analysis, increasing their potential to impact on competitive performance in team sports. Here, we discuss how concepts and tools derived from studies of multilevel networks and hypernetworks have the potential for revealing key properties of sports teams as complex, adaptive social systems. This type of analysis can provide valuable information on team performance, which can be used by coaches, sport scientists and performance analysts for enhancing practice and training. We examine the relevance of network sciences, as a sub-discipline of complexity sciences, for studying the dynamics of relational structures of sports teams during practice and competition. Specifically, we explore the benefits of implementing multilevel networks, in contrast to traditional network techniques, highlighting future research possibilities. We conclude by recommending methods for enhancing the applicability of hypernetworks in analysing team dynamics at multiple levels.

Tactical efficacy and offensive game processes adopted by Italian and Brazilian youth soccer players

Abstract Aim: To analyze success and failure of offensive sequences and the adopted offensive method in under-15 (U-15) and under-17 (U-17) soccer players. Methods: The sample was composed of 218 offensive sequences performed by U-15 and U-17 players selected from 28 matches, being 18 matches of an Italian team and 10 matches of a Brazilian team. All offensive sequences which ended in finalization were selected for the analysis. Using observational methodology, an adapted ad hoc observational instrument was built with the variables "number of players involved", "ball touches", "passing", "duration", and "corridor changes". Next, offensive actions were classified into three offensive game methods: counter-attack, quick attack, and positional attack. Results: Results revealed that teams which use positional attack expend more time constructing an offensive play, involve extra players, and change the ball corridor more often during offensive actions when compared to counter-attack and quick attack (p<0.01). Moreover, offensive efficacy did not present an association with the offensive method employed (X2=0.47; p=0.78). Sequences that finished in success presented significantly higher values of the number of touches (p=0.02), passes (p=0.003), and duration (p=0.01) in comparison to failure. Conclusion: The findings suggest that all offensive methods adopted can be used to reach success during a game of U-15 and U-17 soccer players.

Análise tática no futsal: estudo comparativo do desempenho de jogadores de quatro categorias de formação

Resumo O estudo objetivou comparar comportamentos táticos de jogadores de futsal das categorias sub-13, sub-15, sub-17 e sub-20. O teste usado foi o FUT-SAT, que avalia ações táticas de acordo com os princípios do jogo. A partir das diferenças significativas entre as categorias, verificou-se que nas maiores os jogadores efetuaram mais ações táticas relativas aos princípios "cobertura ofensiva", "espaço", "contenção", "cobertura defensiva", "concentração" e "unidade defensiva" e nas menores executaram mais ações de "penetração" e "mobilidade". Constata-se que os jogadores da categoria sub-20 erraram menos na "fase defensiva" e no "jogo" e obtiveram melhores índices de performance tática na "fase defensiva" comparados com os jogadores das categorias sub-15 e sub-17.

Abstract The paper aimed to compare tactical behaviors of Futsal players from U-13, U-15, U-17 and U-20 age levels. The FUT-SAT was used to evaluated tactical actions according to tactical principles of the game of soccer. It was verified that at higher age levels players performed more tactical actions related to the principles "offensive coverage", "width and length", "delay", "defensive coverage", "concentration" and "defensive unity" and at lower age levels they performed more actions of "penetration" and "mobility". It is concluded that U-20 players played better in the "defensive phase" and "in game" and obtained better tactical performance indexes in the "defensive phase" when compared to those from the U-15 and U-17 age levels.

El estudio tuvo como objetivo comparar comportamientos tácticos de jugadores de fútsal de las categorías sub-13, sub-15, sub-17 y sub-20. El test utilizado fue el FUT-SAT que evalúa acciones tácticas según los principios tácticos del juego. Se verificó que en los niveles de edades superiores los jugadores efectuaron más acciones tácticas relativas a los principios de "cobertura ofensiva", "espacio", "contención", "cobertura defensiva", "concentración, y "unidad defensiva" y en los niveles de edades inferiores ejecutaron más acciones de "penetración" y "movilidad". Se constata que los jugadores de la categoría sub-20 fallaron menos en la "fase defensiva" y en "juego", y obtuvieran mejores índices de rendimiento táctico en la "fase defensiva", comparados con los jugadores de las categorías sub-15 y sub-17.

Influência do efeito da idade relativa sobre o desempenho tático de jogadores de futebol da categoria sub-13 / Influence of the relative age effect over the tactical performance of under-13 soccer players / Influencia del efecto de la edad relativa en el rendimiento táctico de jugadores de fútbol de la categoría sub-13

Resumo O presente estudo teve por objetivo verificar a influência do efeito da idade relativa no desempenho tático de jogadores de futebol da categoria sub-13. A amostra foi constituída por 56 jogadores de futebol da categoria sub-13. Os jogadores foram agrupados de acordo com seu trimestre de nascimento. Recorreu-se ao instrumento FUT-SAT para avaliar o desempenho tático dos participantes. Foram encontradas diferenças significativas entre os trimestres de nascimento para os princípios táticos Contenção e Concentração, mas nenhuma dessas diferenças aponta para vantagens dos jogadores nascidos no primeiro trimestre. Conclui-se que o efeito da idade relativa não influenciou no desempenho tático de jogadores de futebol da categoria aub-13.

Abstract The present study aimed to verify the influence of the Relative Age Effect over the tactical performance of U-13 youth soccer players. The sample was comprised by 56 U-13 youth soccer players. The players were grouped in trimester (T1-Jan/Mar, T2-Apr/Jun, T3-Jul/Sep and T4-Oct/Dec). The instrument used to assess players' tactical performance was FUT-SAT. Significant differences were found between birth trimester for the tactical principles "Delay" and "Concentration". However, none of the results indicated better performance of the players who were born within the first trimester. It is concluded that the Relative Age Effect did not influence the tactical performance of U-13 youth soccer players.

Resumen El objetivo de este estudio fue verificar la influencia del efecto de la edad relativa en el rendimiento táctico de jugadores de fútbol sub-13. La muestra estaba compuesta por 56 jugadores de fútbol sub-13. Los jugadores se agruparon por el trimestre en que nacieron (T1/enero-marzo, T2/abril-junio, T3/julio-septiembre y T4/octubre-diciembre). Se utilizó el instrumento FUT-SAT. Se encontraron diferencias significativas entre los trimestres de nacimiento en los principios tácticos de "contención" y "concentración". Sin embargo, ninguno de los resultados indicó un mejor rendimiento de los jugadores nacidos en el primer trimestre. Se concluyó que el efecto de la edad relativa no influyó en el rendimiento táctico de los jugadores de fútbol sub-13.

Effects of the Pitch Surface on Displacement of Youth Players During Soccer Match-Play.

The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of different pitch surfaces (artificial turf, natural turf and dirt field) on positioning and displacement of young soccer players (age: 13.4 ± 0.5 yrs; body height: 161.82 ± 7.52 cm; body mass: 50.79 ± 7.22 kg and playing experience: 3.5 ± 1.4 yrs). Data were collected using GPS units which allowed to calculate spatial distribution variability, assessed by measuring entropy of individual distribution maps (ShannEn). Ellipsoidal areas (m2) representing players' displacement on the pitch, centred on the average players' positional coordinates, were also calculated, with axes corresponding to the standard deviations of the displacement in the longitudinal and lateral directions. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to evaluate differences between pitch surfaces and across players' positions. There was significant effect in positioning (η2 = 0.146; p < 0.001) and displacement (η2 = 0.063; p < 0.05) by the players between pitch surfaces. A dirt field condition induced an increase in the players' movement variability, while players' displacement was more restricted when playing on artificial turf. Also, there were significant effects on positioning (η2 = 0.496; p < 0.001) and displacement (η2 = 0.339; p < 0.001) across players' positions. Central midfielders presented the greatest movement variability and displacement while fullbacks showed the lowest variability. Subsequently, the results may contribute to implement strategies that optimise players' performance in different surface conditions.

Produção científica acerca do aspecto tático-técnico nos jogos esportivos coletivos: análise dos periódicos brasileiros / Scientific production on the tactical-technical aspect in team sports: analysis of brazilian journals / Producción científica sobre el aspecto táctico-técnico en juegos deportivos colectivos: análisis de periódicos brasileñosa

O objetivo do presente estudo foi analisar a produção científica referente aos aspectos tático-técnicos nos JEC publicada em periódicos brasileiros entre 2000 e 2015. Por meio da busca online em 14 revistas, foram selecionados 335 artigos. Os trabalhos foram classificados nas seguintes categorias temáticas: Análise do desempenho táticotécnico, Metodologias de ensino, Análise do desempenho energético-funcional, Formação de treinadores, Formação de atletas e Outros. A partir de 2009, verifica-se um aumento substancial no número de publicações. A maior frequência de publicações (60,9%) encontra-se entre as temáticas Análise do desempenho tático-técnico e Metodologias de ensino. Adicionalmente, das 16 modalidades esportivas exibidas nos artigos, o futebol e o futsal contemplam 50,7% das publicações. Conclui-se que a produção científica acerca dos aspectos tático-técnicos nos JEC ainda é pouco abrangente e plural, portanto, mais estudos são necessários, sobretudo na Formação de Treinadores e Atletas, assim como em modalidades esportivas coletivas para pessoas com deficiência

This study examined scientific production on tactical-technical aspects of team sports, published in Brazilian journals between 2000 and 2015. After an online search in 14 journals, 335 articles were selected and classified under the following thematic categories: Tactical-technical performance analysis; Teaching methodologies; Energy-functional performance analysis; Coach training; Athletes' training; and others. The number of publications has seen substantial increase since 2009. The higher frequencies of publications (60.9%) are distributed among themes related to Tactical-technical performance analysis and Teaching methodologies. Additionally, of 16 sports presented in the articles, Football and Futsal accounted for 50.7% of publications. We found that scientific production related to tactical-technical aspects in team sports is still not comprehensive and plural. Therefore, more studies are needed, especially on Coach and Athletes' Training, as well as team sports for people with disabilities

El objetivo de este estudio fue analizar la producción científica sobre los aspectos técnicos y tácticos en los Juegos de Deportes Colectivos (JDC) en revistas brasileñas entre 2000 y 2015. A través de la búsqueda online en 14 revistas, fueron seleccionados 335 artículos. Los estudios fueron clasificados: Análisis del rendimiento técnico-táctico, Metodologías de enseñanza, Análisis de rendimiento funcional de energía, formación de entrenadores, Formación de atletas y otros. Desde 2009, ha habido un aumento sustancial en el número de publicaciones. La mayor frecuencia de publicaciones (60.9%) se encuentra entre las temáticas: Análisis de rendimiento técnico-táctico y las Metodologías de enseñanza. Fútbol y Futbol de sala incluyen el 50.7% de las publicaciones. Se concluye que la producción científica sobre los aspectos tácticos y técnicos es incompleta, se necesitan, más estudios, especialmente en la formación de los entrenadores y atletas, así como en los deportes colectivos para las personas con discapacidad física

Influence of pitch length on inter- and intra-team behaviors in youth soccer / Influencia de la longitud del campo en los comportamientos inter e intra -equipo en jóvenes jugadores de fútbol

Tactical behavior could be affected by changes in small-sided game (SSG) formats. The aim of the present study was to analyze the influence of different pitch lengths during 7-a-side SSGs played by young football players. Fourteen male soccer players in each age group (13 and 14 years old, U13 and U14 teams) were divided in two teams of seven players who played four SSGs of 7 minutes, interspersed with 4 minutes of passive recovery. The only modification to the SSG format was pitch length: 60 m (SSG60), 50 m (SSG50), 40 m (SSG40), and 30 m (SSG30), while the width of the field was kept constant at 40 m. The variables used to characterize collective behavior were grouped in a) intra-team variables, namely, team length (L), team width (W), effective area of team play or convex hull (CH), and stretch index (SI); and b) inter-team variables, namely distance between centroids (DC), length of both teams (L2), width of both teams (W2), convex hull of both teams (CH2), and stretch index of both teams (SI2). Our results revealed different intra and inter-team behaviors according to SSG format and player age. L, CH, SI, DC, L2, CH2, and SI2 all increased with increasing pitch length, while W and W2 showed only minimal changes. The differences were greater in the U13 group, suggesting that younger players were more likely to vary their collective behavior in response to changes to pitch length, inter-task, particularly in the longer pitches (SSG50 and SSG60). Conversely, using the analysis of the entropy, greater unpredictability of tactical behavior was observed in the U14 group, intra-task, compared with the U13 group. Overall, the findings suggest that responses to task constraints, such as modifications to pitch length and accordingly relative area of play, are dependent on age (experience, skill) and this is something coaches should consider when designing SSGs to develop team tactics (AU)

El comportamiento táctico puede verse afectado por los cambios en los formatos de juegos reducidos (SSG). El objetivo del presente estudio fue analizar la influencia de diferentes longitudes del terreno de juego en formatos SSG-de-7 jugadores en jóvenes futbolistas. 14 jugadores masculinos de fútbol en cada grupo de edad (13 y 14 años, U13 y U14, respectivamente) se dividieron en dos equipos de siete jugadores, quienes jugaron en cuatro SSGs de 7 minutos de duración, intercalados con 4 minutos de recuperación pasiva. La única modificación en el formato SSG fue longitud del terreno: 60 m (SSG60), 50 m (SSG50), 40 m (SSG40) y 30 m (SSG30), mientras que la anchura del campo de 40 m se mantuvo constante. Las variables utilizadas para caracterizar el comportamiento colectivo se agruparon en: a) variables intra-equipo, es decir, la longitud del equipo (L), ancho del equipo (W), el área efectiva de juego del equipo o convex hull (CH), y el strech index (SI); y b) las variables inter-equipo, es decir, la distancia entre los centroides (DC), la longitud de los dos equipos (L2), la anchura de los dos equipos (W2), envolvente convexa de los dos equipos (CH2), y el índice de estiramiento de los dos equipos (SI2). Los resultados revelan diferentes comportamientos intra e inter-equipo de acuerdo al formato de SSG y la edad del jugador. Las variables L, CH, SI, DC, L2, CH2, y SI2 aumentaron con el incremento en longitud del terreno, mientras que W y W2 mostraron sólo cambios mínimos. Las diferencias fueron mayores en el grupo U13, lo que sugiere que los jugadores más jóvenes fueron más propensos a variar su comportamiento colectivo en respuesta a los cambios de alargar el terreno de juego, inter-tarea, especilamente en los campos más largos (SSG50 y SSG60). Por el contrario, utilizando el análisis de la entropía, mayor imprevisibilidad de comportamiento del equipo se observó en el grupo U14, intra-tarea, en comparación con el grupo U13. En general, los resultados sugieren que las respuestas a la limitación de las tareas, tales como la modificación de la longitud del espacio y el espacio relativo de juego, son dependientes de la edad (experiencia, habilidad) y esto es algo que los entrenadores deben tener en cuenta al diseñar los SSGs para desarrollar comportameintos tácticos colectivos (AU)

Team Sports Performance Analysed Through the Lens of Social Network Theory: Implications for Research and Practice.

This paper discusses how social network analyses and graph theory can be implemented in team sports performance analyses to evaluate individual (micro) and collective (macro) performance data, and how to use this information for designing practice tasks. Moreover, we briefly outline possible limitations of social network studies and provide suggestions for future research. Instead of cataloguing discrete events or player actions, it has been argued that researchers need to consider the synergistic interpersonal processes emerging between teammates in competitive performance environments. Theoretical assumptions on team coordination prompted the emergence of innovative, theoretically driven methods for assessing collective team sport behaviours. Here, we contribute to this theoretical and practical debate by re-conceptualising sports teams as complex social networks. From this perspective, players are viewed as network nodes, connected through relevant information variables (e.g. a ball-passing action), sustaining complex patterns of interaction between teammates (e.g. a ball-passing network). Specialised tools and metrics related to graph theory could be applied to evaluate structural and topological properties of interpersonal interactions of teammates, complementing more traditional analysis methods. This innovative methodology moves beyond the use of common notation analysis methods, providing a richer understanding of the complexity of interpersonal interactions sustaining collective team sports performance. The proposed approach provides practical applications for coaches, performance analysts, practitioners and researchers by establishing social network analyses as a useful approach for capturing the emergent properties of interactions between players in sports teams.

Effects of match situational variables on possession: the case of England Premier League season 2015/16

Aim: The main aim of this study was to identify the effects of match location, quality of opponents and match status on possession during the 2015/16 Season of England Premier League. Methods: Three hundred and eighty matches played by 20 teams were analysed. For each match, two values were recorded, resulting in 760 observations. Results Teams who played at home (51.77 ± 10.22%) presented higher possession values (EF=moderate) than those who played away (48.21 ± 10.30%). Quality of opponents also had a significant difference, as possession was higher (EF=large) when teams played against weak (52.30 ± 9.77%) than strong opponents (46.48 ± 10.38%). The multivariate analysis revealed no interaction between situational variables and possession (p = 0.76). Despite the teams classified as "best-ranking" (1st to 8th position: 50.60 ± 10.35%) presented greater possession (EF=moderate) than "worst-ranking" (9st to 20th position: 47.59 ± 9.74%), no significant differences were found in the comparisons of match status (winner [50.34 ± 10.48%] x drawer [49.95 ± 10.25%] x loser [49.68 ± 10.48%]). Conclusion: General interpretations should be viewed with caution, since this possession can represent an indicator of success for a team but not for others.(AU)

The game variants in Europe. Trends and perspectives during youth competitive stages

AIMS: The aim of this study was to verify how European countries manage the type of game variants and their frequency during different age groups of youth competition. METHODS: Data were collected from the official rules of youth football championships. To identify countries homogenous groups according to their game variants, Two Step Cluster Analysis procedure was used while a nonparametric Kruskal-Wallis test was used to compare the game variants distribution in each Cluster. In order to correlate the game variants with age groups, a Chi-Square independence test and a Spearman ordinal correlation coefficient were used. The results showed there were five clusters with significant differences in their game variants distribution (X2 kw (4) = 22.149; p<0.001; n = 30) and a significant correlation between age group and game variant (χ2(63) = 477.724; p<0.001; n = 30). Specifically, the most used game variants in each age group were the five-a-side (F5) in Under-8; the nine-a-side (F9) in Under-12; the seven-a-side (F7) in Under-9 and Under10; and the eleven-a-side (F11) in and above Under-13. CONCLUSION: These results may contribute to understand the different country perspectives about the competitive game variants of youth football within the European space and its relation with diverse learning philosophies and pathways.(AU)