Research on visual exploratory activity (VEA), or scanning, in soccer has primarily focussed on in-possession scenarios, where higher scan rates are associated with improved performance. However, little is known about defenders' VEA out of possession, despite its importance for anticipation and positioning. This study examined the VEA of 16 English National Youth League academy defenders using manually coded VEO footage. Three out-of-possession phases were captured: (1) periods of >= 10 seconds without ball contact; (2) the 10 seconds prior to an opposition set piece; and (3) the 10 seconds preceding a positive defensive action (e.g. interception). A total of 696 clipped phases were analysed. Linear mixed models revealed significant differences in scan rate across phases (p < 0.05). Scan rates were the highest before set pieces (M = 0.32 scans/s, 95% CI [0.29, 0.35]), lowest before positive defensive actions (M = 0.17 scans/s, 95% CI [0.14, 0.21]) and intermediate during prolonged defending (M = 0.24 scans/s, 95% CI [0.20, 0.28]). These findings indicate defensive scanning is phase-dependent, informing practice on how defenders can optimise their scanning out of possession. Future research should investigate other variables affecting defenders' VEA, the information defenders look for and if these findings are similar in elite defenders.

With growing evidence in the field of talent identification in sport, policy makers and practitioners are left with a broad range of theoretical and practical considerations. As sport necessitates answers, and often quickly, creating a list of evidence-informed principles for ethical and athlete-centred talent identification is needed. As such, 56 researchers and practitioners from the Talent Identification and Development Environments in Sport (TIDES) Society met to establish a working group and discuss, debate and identify guiding principles that are believed to influence talent identification in sport. A formal online meeting was held to openly discuss ideas and suggestions that were captured through video/audio recordings and note taking. A final list of 13 principles were centred on (a) health and well-being, (b) sociocultural influences and sport-specific context, (c) language and terminology, (d) timing and efficiency, (e) entry and exit points, (f) heuristics and biases, (g) objectivity and subjectivity, (h) shared mental models, (i) inter- and trans-disciplinary teams and (j) education and reflection. The TIDES Society suggests using these 13 principles to guide conversations when making decisions about ways to structure and practice talent identification, with the hopes of making more effective, efficient, and ethical talent identification environments.

This study examined the effects of video-based priming interventions on youth football players' performance prior to playing small-sided games (SSG). Twenty-four U14 players (age: 13.8 ± 0.4 years, football experience of 7.5 ± 2.3 years) participated in three conditions: (i) CONTROL (no priming), (ii) OFFENSIVE priming (a 4-minute video on progressive possession style leading to goals), and (iii) CREATIVE priming (a 4-minute video emphasizing innovative passes, dribbles, and shots). Tactical and physical performance were assessed using GPS devices, individual tactical performance using the Game Performance Evaluation Tool (GPET), and performance creativity using the CREATIVE Behavior Assessment in Team Sports (CBATS). Data were compared using the non-parametric Friedman ANOVA test. The OFFENSIVE condition demonstrated reduced variability in distances to teammates (X 2 = 7.00, p = 0.030), and increased overall external load compared to the CONTROL condition. Superior decision-making (X 2 = 18.6, p < 0.001) and execution (X 2 = 13.2, p = 0.001) in passing actions compared to both the control and creative conditions were observed. The CREATIVE condition promoted increased spatial exploration (X 2 = 6.10, p = 0.047), and more frequent shooting attempts (X 2 = 7.05, p = 0.029) compared to the CONTROL and OFFENSIVE conditions, and greater variability in distances to opponents compared to the CONTROL condition (X 2 = 9.75, p = 0.008). These findings demonstrate that video-based priming can influence tactical, technical, and creative behaviors in SSG. Coaches can leverage offensive priming to improve structured passing and positioning, while creative priming may inspire exploratory movements and innovative shooting attempts.

Skilled anticipation is underpinned by the ability to synthesise high- (e.g., context) and low-level (e.g., biological motion) processes. While researchers have highlighted the effect of physiological load on the pick-up of biological motion from an opponent’s kinematics, how such stress affects the use of contextual information has remained unexplored. In this paper, we conducted an experiment to examine how a fatigue-inducing, cricket-specific exercise protocol affects the use of contextual and kinematic information during anticipation. Altogether, 13 skilled batters completed a validated simulated cricket batting task designed to induce physiological responses representative of competition. Before, after, and during the exercise protocol, participants anticipated the end location of bowling deliveries that presented either opponent kinematics, contextual information (field positioning and game situation), or both. Anticipation responses were more accurate during the exercise protocol than at rest. Also, responses were more accurate when contextual information was available compared with when only kinematic cues were presented. Moreover, from the beginning to the end of the protocol, anticipation responses decreased in accuracy in those conditions in which contextual information was presented and increased in accuracy when only kinematic cues were available. We interpret the findings relative to Attentional Control Theory (Eysenck et al., 2007). Findings highlight the complex nature of expert sports performance and indicate that the effect of domain-specific exercise on anticipation is dependent on the physiological load experienced and the type of information available.

Decision-making ability in players during match-play is mostly acquired through practice activities with the same underlying structure as competition. However, researchers have not fully investigated how coaches design practice sessions at the participation level of the sport (i.e. 'grassroots'), or why they use a particular activity at a specific time point. This study explores the practice activities employed by youth soccer coaches at the participation level in England and aims to understand their underlying intentions. Twelve male coaches working with players aged 9-11 years across ten clubs in the London region participated. Thirty-five practice sessions were filmed and analysed to assess the proportion of time spent in activities involving 'non-active decision-making' (e.g., technical practices, fitness training) versus 'active decision-making' (e.g., small-sided and conditioned games, skills practice with realistic opposition). A brief on-field interview with the coaches about the session purpose took place immediately after each systematic observation. Coaches allocated similar amounts of time to activities with active (M = 41%) and non-active (M = 42%) decision making, with the remaining 17% being transitions. There was a common progression from non-active decision-making activities early in the session towards increased active decision-making later in the session. Interviews with coaches revealed a belief in the necessity of frequent non-active decision-making practices for technique development, despite potential disparities with improving match performance. Findings highlight a potential gap between scientific understanding and coaching practices for young soccer players at the participation level, suggesting implications for coach education programmes and the optimisation of player development strategies.

This study aimed to verify the influence of 25 training sessions based on tactical principles and small-sided and conditioned games (SSCG) in developing cognitive and motor decision-making skills of U-12 soccer players. Participants were 25 U-12 elite male soccer players from a Brazilian first division national club. Perceptual-cognitive decision-making skills (quality and response time) were assessed with an objective video-based test (TacticUP (R)). Perceptual-motor decision-making skills (tactical efficiency) were assessed with the System of Tactical Assessment in Soccer (FUT-SAT). Both instruments were developed based on the same theoretical background (core tactical principles). The 25 training sessions were organised based on tactical principles and SSCG. The sessions were designed considering the individual needs to improve decision-making skills. Results showed improvements (p < .05) in: 1) perceptual-cognitive decision-making skills related to the decision-making time for both offensive and defensive actions and 2) perceptual-motor skills for defensive actions. We also found unexpected results for the quality of decision-making. It decreased for the defensive phase in post-test. We concluded that 25 training sessions based on core tactical principles and SSCG improved perceptual-cognitive related to decision time and perceptual-motor decision-making skills. Improvement of decision-making time apparently is related to improvement in tactical efficiency of U-12 soccer players.

Review question / Objective: What are the effects of motivational pre-game speech on emotions and athletic performance?Eligibility criteria: a.Studies conducted between 1984 and 2022.The earliest paper seen written on motivational speech and sport performance, based on a quick test search conducted on Google Scholar, was dated 2004 by Vagras-Tonsing.So a safe date of 20 years earlier was applied in case there are other studies that might have been done earlier but

This study aimed to examine the effects of age group (under-11, under-15, and under-23) on the external, internal workloads, and tactical individual actions when playing 4v2, 4v4, and 4v6 ball possession small-sided soccer games. Data were analysed separately under the opponent perspective (4vX) and by the cooperation perspective, according to teammates (4v2+X). For all opponent formats, statistical differences were found for walking, with older age groups covering longer distances. Higher running distances were found in 4v4 game format for U11s, while U23s reported higher RPE scores in 4v4 and 4v6 formats. More passes were performed in 4v2 and 4v4 game formats for U11s and a higher maximum passing speed in 4v6 format for U15s and U23s. In the cooperation perspective, statistical differences were found for all external workload variables: U11s covered more distances while sprinting, whereas U23s walked more, perceiving the task as more intense. Similarly, U11s performed a higher amount of tactical individual actions also in every format. Younger players seem to benefit from a lower level of opposition to mature tactical individual actions, while older players can develop fast ball circulation in numerical inferiority.

We examined whether high- or low-creative soccer players who were classified based on an established soccer-specific creative decision-making test differed based on their participation history profiles. Their solutions on the test were measured using the three observation criteria for creativity of originality, flexibility, and fluency of decisions. Questionnaires were used to record the participation history profiles of players. The high-creative group spent significantly more average hours per year in free, unstructured soccer-specific play activity during childhood and early adolescence (i.e., 6-15 years of age) when compared with their low-creative counterparts. No differences were reported for hours per year in soccer-specific formal practice and competition between the two groups across development. Moreover, hours accumulated in other sports, as well as milestones achieved, did not differentiate groups. Our findings suggest that informal unorganized, free play in the primary sport is positively associated with and necessary for the development of superior levels of creative ability in soccer players. Practical implications, further research avenues and limitations are presented.

In soccer, it is relevant to understand the roles of Systems 1 (intuitive) and 2 (deliberative) in perceptual-cognitive processes and how they influence response time when making decisions. The aim of this study was to analyse how response time in decision making managed by Systems 1 and 2 is associated to the perceptual-cognitive processes of young soccer players. Ninety young soccer players participated. Perceptual-cognitive processes were assessed through visual search strategies, cognitive effort, and verbal reports. Participants wore a mobile-eye tracking system while viewing 11-a-side match play video-based soccer simulations. Response time in decision making was used to create two sub-groups: faster and slower decision-makers. Results indicated that players with faster response time in decision making employed more fixations of shorter duration, displayed less cognitive effort, as well as a greater number of thought processes associated with planning. These results reinforce that there are differences in the way of using the perceptive-cognitive processes from the priority system in the decision-making process. It is concluded that faster decision making, managed by System 1, implies greater ability to employ visual search strategies and to process information, thus enabling increased cognitive efficiency.

OBJECTIVES:We examine how mental fatigue (MF) influences peripheral perception, tactical behaviour, and physical performance of soccer players during a standardized small-sided game. METHODS:Eighteen male university first-team soccer players participated. A modified Stroop task and the Vienna Test System were employed to induce MF and to evaluate players' peripheral perception, respectively. The FUT-SAT test was used to assess participants' tactical behaviour and physical performance was quantified using GPS technology. RESULTS:MF decreased players' visual field (pre-test = 189.9° and post-test = 181.6°). Additionally, MF constrained players to more frequently perform actions related to the tactical principles of penetration, depth mobility, and defensive unity, and less frequently perform actions of defensive coverage and balance. During MF, players showed decreased accuracy in actions related to the principles of offensive coverage, width and length, offensive unity, delay, balance, concentration, and defensive unity. Finally, under MF players covered higher total distance and at more moderate speed. CONCLUSIONS:MF decreased players' peripheral perception, making them prioritize actions towards the opposing goal and protecting their own goal, while displaying more errors for most tactical actions. In summary, MF impaired several aspects of players' cognitive and tactical behaviours, causing a compensatory increase in physical performance.

We examined the practice activities employed by 53 youth football coaches working in youth academy professional top-division clubs from England, Germany, Portugal, and Spain. This is the first study to explore the microstructure of coach-led practice in elite youth football across multiple countries. A total of 83 practice sessions from under-12 to under-16 age groups was collected in situ. Sessions were analysed for the proportion of time in 'non-active decision-making' (e.g., unopposed technical or tactical skills practices, fitness training) and 'active decision-making' activities (e.g., small-sided games, skills practice with opposition), with the latter deemed superior for the transfer of game intelligence skill to match play. More time was spent in active decision-making (M = 62%) compared to non-active decision-making activities (M = 20%) and transitioning between activities (M = 17%). Players from Portugal and Spain spent a higher amount of time in active decision-making activities compared to English and German players, whereas, English players spent more time in unopposed technical-based drills and German players in improving fitness aspects of the game without the ball. Findings extend previous research assessing coach-led youth football practice in single countries by demonstrating differences in training activities between countries in Europe.

Anticipation is the ability to accurately predict future actions or events ahead of the act itself. When attempting to anticipate, researchers have identified that at least two broad sources of information are used: contextual information relating to the situation in question; and biological motion from postural cues. However, the neural correlates associated with the processing of these different sources of information across groups varying in expertise has yet to be examined empirically. We compared anticipation performance and electrophysiological activity in groups of expert (n = 12) and novice (n = 15) performers using a video-based task. Participants made anticipation judgements after being presented information under three conditions: contextual information only; kinematic information only; and both sources of information combined. The experts responded more accurately across all three conditions. Stronger alpha event-related desynchronization over occipital and frontocentral sites occurred in experts compared to the novices when anticipating. The experts relied on stronger preparatory attentional mechanisms when they processed contextual information. When kinematic information was available, the domain specific motor representations built up over many years of practice likely underpinned expertise. Our findings have implications for those interested in identifying and subsequently, enhancing the neural mechanisms involved in anticipation.

When performing under severe time constraints, sports performers use kinematic and contextual information to facilitate anticipation. We examined the relative importance of these two information sources and their impact on cognitive load and anticipation performance. Cognitive load theory predicts that adding more information sources to a task will increase cognitive load in less-skilled but not skilled performers. Skilled and less-skilled cricket batters anticipated deliveries from bowlers on a life-size screen under 4 conditions that manipulated access to contextual information and included a secondary task. The presence of context enhanced anticipation accuracy for both skilled and less-skilled groups, without affecting cognitive load. Skilled performers used sequencing and game-related contextual information in addition to kinematic information to facilitate anticipation, whereas both groups reported using information pertaining to opponent positioning. Findings highlight the importance of context in anticipation and suggest that the addition of context may not necessarily negatively impact cognitive load.