Teaching and Learning Process of Decision-Making Units in Talented Young Players From U-10 to U-14

Exploring the Relationship of Declarative Tactical Knowledge With Participation, Football Competence, and Potentiality in a Professional Club (Real Sociedad)

We compared the declarative tactical knowledge (DTK) of 196 male and female players (16.9 ± 2.4 years) belonging to the academy of a Spanish professional football club with their participation (minutes played), football competence (coaching staff assessment), and future potential (technical direction prediction). The DTK had no correlation with the minutes played (%) by the participants during the 2021-22 season (r = -.162, p = .045). Student's t test for independent samples compared the football competence of the participants with high DTK (n = 74) and low DTK (n = 76), proving a small impact (p = .021, d = 0.39) in favor of the first group. Although the high-DTK group showed a better average of potentiality, the technical direction identified more potential players for the first team in the low-DTK group. In conclusion, no solid evidence was found to justify that participants with higher DTK in each team were those who played more minutes and showed greater football competence and potentiality.

Exploring the Effects of Tasks with Different Decision-Making Levels on Ball Control, Passing Performance, and External Load in Youth Football

This study aimed to understand how the design of decision-making tasks affects youth football players' ball control, passing performance, and external load. A total of 16 male youth football players (age: 12.94 ± 0.25 years) competed in various tasks based on the following levels of decision-making: (i) low decision-making (Low DM), which consisted of a predefined ball control and passing sequence; (ii) moderate decision-making (Mod DM), which consisted of maintaining possession in a square with four players and two balls while maintaining the same position; and (iii) high decision-making (High DM), which consisted of a 3 vs. 3 + 2 neutral players ball possession game. The study design consisted of a pre-post design (a 6 min pre-test game, a 6 min intervention, and a 6 min post-test game). The players' ball control and passing performance were measured using the game performance evaluation tool and notational analysis, while GPS data were used to determine their physical performance. The pre-post test analysis revealed decrements in players' ability to identify more offensive players after the Mod DM task (W = 9.50, p = 0.016), while there was an increase in their ability to receive the ball towards the space following the High DM task (t = -2.40, p = 0.016). Analysis between groups showed lower values in most ball control variables for the Low DM task compared to the Mod DM task (ball control execution, p = 0.030; appropriateness, p = 0.031; motor space, p = 0.025), while there were also lower values in the distance covered while sprinting (p = 0.042). Overall, prescriptive tasks (Low DM) that are repetitive in nature may affect players' perceptual attunement, whereas static tasks (e.g., Mod DM) may limit their ability to locate players in more offensive positions. Moreover, game-based situations (High DM) seem to acutely enhance players' performance, possibly due to contextual dependency. Overall, coaches should carefully consider the type of practice structure when designing tasks that aim to improve players' technical skills in youth football.

Individual characteristics of physical and mental development and their connection with regular physical exercises when playing basketball

Basketball includes a wide range of physical actions with and without the ball, which puts forward certain requirements for motor fitness, moral, volitional and mental qualities, as well as creativity and decision-making skills in rapidly changing and often unforeseen circumstances. The scientific novelty is determined by the fact that in order to categorically define the term of "features of physical and mental development and their connection with regular physical exercise", the authors analysed the works of leading scientists on the theory and methods of physical education, grouped by the authors in accordance with the main concepts. The aim of the article is to study of the phenomenon of physical culture of the student's personality, namely, the targets of the modern system of physical education and the structure of personal physical culture of a person; the humanisation and democratisation of the system of physical education; the development of the concept of the theory of physical culture and its implementation in the conditions of reformation of higher education. The practical significance of the study is determined by the fact that the elements of basketball are included in the programmes of physical education of preschool children, in the curricula for physical culture of all degrees of general secondary education (primary, secondary, high school), in the programme for physical education of higher education institutions.

Talent Identification and Development in Male Futsal: A Systematic Review

This review aimed to identify and synthesize the most significant literature addressing talent identification and development in futsal. A systematic review of Web of Science™ (all databases), Scopus, PubMed and SPORTDiscus databases was performed according to the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses guidelines. This study included original articles in English, Spanish or Portuguese containing relevant data on talent development/identification of male futsal players. The search yielded 238 articles. After screening, a total of 32 manuscripts were fully reviewed. The quality of the data reviewed was generally good. Results indicate that the most successful players exhibit technical, tactical, anthropometric, physiological and psychological advantages and are distinguished from lower-level players based on their earlier dedication to training. This review highlights the need for those involved in the process of identifying and developing talented futsal players to consider the technical and tactical skills of futsal players, along with their anthropometric and physiological characteristics, scaled to age. Finally, special attention should be paid to the supportive psychosocial environments created in sports academies for developing futsal players. Overall, talent identification and development programmes in futsal need to be dynamic and offer the possibility of changing assessment parameters in the long term.