Affordances from the Variability of Interpersonal Coordinations in the Team Sport of Futsal

BACKGROUND:Affordance is one of the main pillars of direct perception theory. It refers to the possibilities offered by the environment to an animal with reference to its action capabilities. This paper presents recent findings from a set of empirical research on team sport of futsal developed under an ecological dynamic perspective. AIM:Because in team sports the players' interactions are inherently variable, we described the affordances from the variability of interpersonal coordination in futsal based on the research findings. METHODS:A set of empirical research on futsal was developed under an ecological dynamic perspective, examining players’ interpersonal coordination and the affordances emerging from the variability of these interactions. INTERPRETATION:(1) affordance for dribbling emerges from variability in the interpersonal distance and relative angles of passing and shooting; these variabilities mean uncertainty regarding the performance of these last two, as well as the risk of the ball being recovered; (2)affordance for passing emerges from (i) consistency in the velocity of emergence of great and specific relative angles; it signifies the possibility of a pass being successfully completed; and, (ii) intradyadic variability in passer and receiver dyads; it means the possibility of the attacking players to break the coupling to their respective marking defenders; (3)affordance for shooting emerges from (i) consistency in the velocity of emergence of specific interpersonal angle; it signifies optimal angular interpersonal relationship for shooting; and (ii) consistency in the defensive area during goalkeeper-as-an-outfield player situation; such consistency means the defensive team's low flexibility to adapt to the attacking team's numerical superiority.