Measuring soccer technique with easy-to-administer field tasks in female soccer players from four different competitive levels

Is There a Sex Difference in Technical Skills among Youth Soccer Players in Norway?

Female soccer has recently experienced an impressive increase in the number of players, and an impressive improvement in the quality of elite matches. Still, studies show sex differences in match statistics on passing accuracy and the ability to control the ball in international matches, which is explained by a lower skill of level in female soccer players as compared to male players. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate if female youth soccer players had bridged the gap in technical skills to reach the level that boys have traditionally attained. Sixteen male and 17 female youth soccer players of the same age and experience level took part in technical skill tests of reception of the ball on the ground and long passes. The results show a significant difference between the sexes in reception performance in favour of the male players (p < 0.05, ES = 1.09), but no significant difference in the long pass test (p = 0.11, ES = 0.43). This leads to the conclusion that the lower score on ball reception is probably the result of experience in small-sided self-organised soccer games during childhood among the male players, which influences reception skills but not the ability to make accurate long passes.

Profiling the kicking and handballing accuracy of female Australian football players across five competition levels

OBJECTIVES

To profile the kicking and handballing accuracy of female Australian football (AF) players and investigate potential differences across five competition levels.

METHODS

Female AF players were classified into five competition levels: elite senior (≥18 years) (n=35), non-elite senior (≥18 years) (n=58), high-level junior (<18 years) (n=32), non-elite junior (14-17 years) (n=38), and non-elite junior (10-13 years) (n=42). Modified AF kicking and handballing tests examined accuracy outcomes. Competition level differences in accuracy were modelled using multivariate analysis of variance.

RESULTS

A large, significant difference between the competition levels was noted (F=11.508, p<0.001, Wilk's Λ=0.462, η²_p=0.227), with significant differences (p<0.001) observed in the modified AF kicking (ω²=0.514) and handballing (η²_p=0.150-0.250) tests. Elite seniors and high-level juniors performed the modified AF kicking test more accurately than all non-elite competition levels (p≤0.001). Elite seniors were also more accurate in the modified AF handballing test (dominant hand) compared to all non-elite competition levels (p≤0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

This study is the first to report technical skill characteristics in female AF across a broader participation pathway. These exploratory findings could be used as reference data for player development and inform training designs, namely by incorporating non-dominant handballing competitive play situations to develop this skill in female AF players.

Explaining the difference between men's and women's football

Women's football is gaining supporters and practitioners worldwide, raising questions about what the differences are with men's football. While the two sports are often compared based on the players' physical attributes, we analyze the spatio-temporal events during matches in the last World Cups to compare male and female teams based on their technical performance. We train an artificial intelligence model to recognize if a team is male or female based on variables that describe a match's playing intensity, accuracy, and performance quality. Our model accurately distinguishes between men's and women's football, revealing crucial technical differences, which we investigate through the extraction of explanations from the classifier's decisions. The differences between men's and women's football are rooted in play accuracy, the recovery time of ball possession, and the players' performance quality. Our methodology may help journalists and fans understand what makes women's football a distinct sport and coaches design tactics tailored to female teams.

A Novel Approach for Comparison of Reception Performance in a Technique Test and Small-Sided Games

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the correlation between soccer players' performance of receptions of passes in tests of both isolated technical skills and more match-realistic situations in small-sided games (SSGs). In addition, this study investigated whether the involvement in SSGs (number of receptions) correlated with the quality of receptions in the respective SSGs. The participants were 13 male outfield youth soccer players from teams in the first division of the regional U18 league. The quality of receptions was scored by educated coaches according to set criteria of performance. Statistical analyses of correlations were determined using Spearman's rank-order correlation coefficient (r_s). The main results were (1) a significant correlation in the quality of ball reception between 4vs1 SSGs and 5vs5 SSGs (r_s = -0.61, p < 0.01) and (2) a trend towards moderate correlation between the quality of ball reception using a ball projection machine and 5vs5 SSGs (r_s = -0.48, p = 0.10). (3) A significant correlation was found between the number of receptions in 5vs5 SSGs and the quality score of receptions in 5vs5 SSGs (r_s = -0.70, p < 0.01). The trend towards moderate correlations between 5vs5 SSGs and the isolated technical reception test could imply the importance of training in the technical aspects of ball reception. Moreover, it seems as though the players with the best reception performance are the players who are most involved in SSGs, that is, having the most receptions.

Effects of a 12-Month Complex Proprioceptive-Coordinative Training Program on Soccer Performance in Prepubertal Boys Aged 10-11 Years

Boraczyński, MT, Sozański, HA, and Boraczyński, TW. Effects of a 12-month complex proprioceptive-coordinative training program on soccer performance in prepubertal boys aged 10-11 years. J Strength Cond Res 33(5): 1380-1393, 2019-The aim was to examine the effects of a series of on-field proprioceptive-coordinative (P-C) exercises on motor performance (MP) in prepubertal soccer players. Fifty-three male soccer players aged 10.1-11.8 years were randomized among 2 experimental programs receiving P-C training (P-CT; n = 26) or regular training (RT; n = 27). A control group (C; n = 22) consisted of age-matched (10.3-11.9 years) cohorts not involved in any regular physical activity. Both experimental groups completed an identical 12-month comprehensive soccer program except training in P-CT was modified to substitute small-sided conditioning games with 24 multimode P-C exercises with modulated exercise intensity (every 8-9 weeks based on predicted maximal heart rate [HRmax]). Pre-, peri-, and posttraining measures included anthropometry and 5 tests assessing soccer-specific MP: movement rhythm (turning the ball backwards-T1), motor adaptation (running with the ball around poles-T2), spatial orientation (running to sequentially numbered balls-T3), balance (single-leg static balance-T4), and kinesthetic differentiation of movement (landing the ball on a 2 × 2 m sector-T5). Repeated-measures analysis of variance revealed no significance between-group differences for age, anthropometry, and body-fat percentage at baseline. Significant main effects for group (P-CT vs. RT) were found in all tests (T1-T5) and main effects for time (group P-CT) in T3-T5, whereas a significant group × time interaction was observed only in T4 (F = 2.98, p = 0.0204). Post hoc tests indicated that P-CT attained significantly better results than RT at peritraining (by 26.4%; p < 0.01) and posttraining (by 31.9%, p < 0.01). Modulated exercise intensity had little effect on soccer performance (T1-T3, T5). Based on the results, it is recommended that the training of young soccer players be supplemented with the bilateral balance exercises and games used in the study. Furthermore, the suitability of monitoring HR in P-C exercises targeting the analyzed MP skills is questionable.

The specificity versus generality of ball-handling skills - Empirical evidence for a general ball-handling ability

The purpose of this study was to investigate if ball-handling skills are specific and uncorrelated (i.e., motor specificity), or if they share an underlying ball-handling ability (i.e., motor generality). To empirically investigate this question, we had a sample of 201 adolescents perform 12 novel ball-handling tasks. Using confirmatory factor analysis, we showed that a model based on the assumptions of the generality perspective was superior to a model based on assumptions of specificity. The general ball-handling factor did significantly influence the performance on all 12 tasks, with factor loadings ranging between 0.39 and 0.79. The results and it's practical implications are discussed in relation to development of sport specific skills.

When Is a Test Score Fair for the Individual Who Is Being Tested? Effects of Different Scoring Procedures across Multiple Attempts When Testing a Motor Skill Task

Tests or test batteries used for assessing motor skills, either in research studies or in clinical settings, apply a variety of procedures for scoring performances, including everything from one to ten attempts, of which the best is scored or an average is computed. The rationale behind scoring procedures is rarely stated, and it seems that the number of attempts allowed is decided without much qualification from research. It is uncertain whether procedures fairly capture an individual's skill level. Thus, the validity of the tests may be compromised. The present study tested 24 young female soccer players on the juggling of a soccer ball. They were given 10 attempts, and trials were scored according to nine different procedures including the 'best of' or 'mean of' either one, two, three, five, or ten attempts. Individual raw scores differed widely across trials, but no general effect of trials was found. The mean (SD) percentage difference between the lowest and highest scores was 27.7(9.9)%, with 17 players (71%) demonstrating a significant change from lowest to highest score. Correlations between raw scores were low across trials, while they were generally higher across scoring procedures. The first trial was significantly different from the remaining both as a raw score and as scoring procedure. The mean percentage difference between best-of-two and best-of-ten scores was 95%, with 50 % of the players demonstrating a significant difference between the two scoring procedures. No significant differences were found across mean-of-rule scorings. Best-of-rule and mean-of-rule scorings were significantly different except for the best-of-two vs. mean-of-two. The mean difference between highest and lowest rank across players was 6.7 (3.6), with individual rankings within the group varying 33% on average across procedures. One player moved from 3rd to 23rd place because of procedural differences. Therefore, it is concluded that scoring procedures affect results and may have an impact on test outcomes. This may present consequences for decision-making from test results, such as diagnosing and selection of intervention groups. We hope that our results would inspire further research into the scoring procedures of the vast amount of tests and tasks in common use.