Συνοχή και απόδοση στο ποδόσφαιρο: Κατεύθυνση της σχέσης και παράγοντες που την επηρεάζουν

Ένας σημαντικός παράγοντας για τα ομαδικά αθλήματα είναι η συνοχή, την οποία ο Carron (1982) όρισε ως τη δυναμική διαδικασία που αντικατοπτρίζεται στην τάση των μελών του συνόλου να ‘δέσουν’ μεταξύ τους και να παραμένουν ενωμένοι κατά την επιδίωξη των στόχων της ομάδας. Σκοπός της εργασίας ήταν να διερευνήσει τη σχέση συνοχής-απόδοσης στο ποδόσφαιρο, καθώς και να φανερώσει τους παράγοντες που συνδέονται με τη συνοχή. Η ηλικία, η εμπειρία, ο χρόνος παραμονής στην ομάδα, η αγωνιστική θέση, οι προσδοκίες, οι αγωνιστικές συμμετοχές και η αντιλαμβανόμενη ομαδική και ατομική επιτυχία είναι μερικοί από τους παράγοντες που σχετίζονται με τη συνοχή και εξετάστηκαν στη μελέτη αυτή. Συνολικά, οι συμμετέχοντες της έρευνας ήταν 403 άνδρες ποδοσφαιριστές, από 16 ομάδες ερασιτεχνικών πρωταθλημάτων της Αττικής και της Αρκαδίας, ηλικίας 13 ως 38 ετών (Μ= 21,91), από τους οποίους οι 173 συμπλήρωσαν όλα τα ερωτήματα των ερωτηματολογίων σε όλες τις χορηγήσεις. Η συνοχή αξιολογήθηκε στην έναρξη της προετοιμασίας, στην έναρξη της αγωνιστικής περιόδου, στη μέση και το τέλος της αγωνιστικής περιόδου με την προσαρμοσμένη σε ελληνικό πληθυσμό έκδοση του Ερωτηματολογίου Περιβάλλοντος της Ομάδας (Group Environment Questionnaire; Carron, Widmeyer, & Brawley, 1985; Αγγελονίδης, 1995). Η απόδοση αξιολογήθηκε στην έναρξη της αγωνιστικής περιόδου, στη μέση και το τέλος της αγωνιστικής περιόδου, από τον βαθμολογικό πίνακα (βαθμολογία και κατάταξη). Οι υπόλοιπες μεταβλητές μετρήθηκαν με αυτοσχέδιες κλίμακες αξιολόγησης. Σύμφωνα με τα αποτελέσματα βρέθηκε ότι η συνοχή σχετίζεται με τις προσδοκίες, με τον αριθμό των αγωνιστικών συμμετοχών των αθλητών, με το χρόνο παραμονής στην ομάδα και με την αντιλαμβανόμενη ομαδική και ατομική επιτυχία. Τέλος, όσον αφορά στη σχέση συνοχής - απόδοσης βρέθηκε ότι τόσο η συνοχή (συνοχή έργου και κοινωνική συνοχή) όσο και η απόδοση συνεισφέρουν σε αυτή τη σχέση, με τη συνοχή να επηρεάζει περισσότερο την απόδοση της ομάδας από ό,τι η απόδοση τη συνοχή.One important factor for team sports is cohesion, which Carron (1982) has defined as a dynamic process which is reflected in the tendency for a group to stick together and remain united in the pursuit of its goals. Purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship of cohesion - performance in soccer, and to reveal the factors which are associated with cohesion. Age, experience, residence time in the club, position, expectations, total participations in season’s matches, perceptions of team and individual success, are among the factors related to cohesion and examined in this study. Overall, survey participants were 403 male soccer players, from 16 teams of amateur leagues of Attica and Arcadia aged 13 to 38 years (Μ= 21,91), of whom 173 completed all the items of the questionnaires to all loans. The cohesion was evaluated at the start of the preparation, at the start of the season, in the middle and the end of the season with a customized version of the Greek population of the Group Environment Questionnaire (Aggelonidis, 1995; Carron, Widmeyer, & Brawley, 1985). The performance was evaluated at the start of the season, in the middle and the end of the season, by the league table (rating and ranking). The remaining variables were measured with improvised scales. According to the results it was found that cohesion relates with expectations, total participations in season’s matches, residence time in the club and perceptions of team and individual success. Finally, regarding the relationship between cohesion - performance, it was found that both cohesion (task and social cohesion) and performance contribute to this relationship, with cohesion affecting more the team’s performance than team’s performance the cohesion

Relationship between time and goal scoring of European soccer teams with different league ranking

The aim of the current study was to compare scored and conceded goals as well as the time period among teams of different league ranking. Researchers recorded the total games (n= 1446) of the top European leagues of Spain, Italy, Germany, and France for the period 2015-2016. The teams were divided into the ones which achieved their participation for European cups (L1), teams that remained to the category (L2), and teams which relegated to the lower category (L3). The researchers recorded the scored goals, the conceded goals, and the goal differences, per game, per half, and per 15min in total games for 2015-2016 season. The results showed that L1 teams were superior to L2 and L3 in overall goal scoring characteristics in both halves. The superior 15min periods were also explored. In addition, L2 teams performed higher than L3 teams in most of the variables. In conclusion, the difference between L1 with L2 and L3 teams is based in goal scoring during the whole game, in contrast with the difference between L2 and L3 teams that relies on stronger defense. On the other hand, L3 teams did not perform higher in any goal scoring pattern than the other two groups. It is obvious, that performance difference is achieved by the first half which is difficult to change during the second half. Thus, coaches have to emphasize achieving high performance in the first half of the game. Furthermore, they must use their substitutions so as to avoid poor performance periods and heighten the offensive and defensive play of their teams

Relative Age Effect: A Systematic Discrimination against Biologically Younger Athletes

Physical differences associated with birth-date among athletes of the same selection year have been described as the Relative Age Effect (RAE). The aim of this study was to examine whether RAE still exists in soccer and running sport disciplines as well as to evaluate its progress among different gender, age, and sport context and if it has an effect on performance. Using official archives of the international sports’ associations (World Athletics-UEFA), birthdates and performance were collected for 7226 athletes (4033 males; 3198 females) who participated in soccer and running events. A chi-square test was used to assess differences between observed and expected birth date distributions. The study showed an over-representation of athletes born in the first quarter of the selection year for both soccer and running events. RAE is more obvious in younger age groups and in sports that require higher explosive speed, strength, power and anaerobic capacity such as soccer and short distance sprints. It was also found that RAE is associated with performance. In conclusion, athletes of younger age groups with greater biological age have a physical advantage in explosive sports (i.e. soccer and short distance running) that probably does not predict their future development

Enhancing Soccer-Specifc Motor Skills Through Visual Training: A Quasi-Experimental Study in Young Soccer Players

 In team sports like soccer, the ability to make quick decisions is essential for successful performance. Players must perceive and understand the available affordances in their environment to effectively utilize the information and make accurate decisions on the feld. Visual exploratory actions play a crucial role in acquiring the necessary information, allowing players to anticipate action possibilities and plan their subsequent actions. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of an innovative training protocol based on visual exercises in improving soccer-specifc motor skills of U12 soccer players. Thirty young male soccer players participated in the study and were randomly assigned to one of three groups: Technique Group (T-G), Visual-Technique Group (VT-G), and Control Group (C-G). The T-G received technical training, the VT-G received the same training with the addition of visual stimuli, and the C-G received regular in-season training. Pre- and post-test measurements were conducted on soccer-specifc motor skills. The results showed that the VT-G demonstrated signifcant improvements in motor skills compared to the T-G and C-G. These fndings suggest that incorporating targeted visual training into soccer training programs can enhance perceptual-cognitive and visual skills, leading to improved agility and overall on-feld performance. Keywords: soccer, agility, visual training, youth sports, motor skills

Assessment of Change of Direction and Agility. Running and Dribbling among Soccer, Basketball and Handball Players: The Concept of “Agility deficit”

The primary objective of this study is to conduct a comparative analysis of change of direction (COD) and agility among players engaged in soccer, basketball, and handball. Additionally, the researchers introduced the novel concept of “Agility deficit”, aimed at evaluating distinctions between COD and agility during running (COD-R; Agility-R) and dribbling (COD-D; Agility-D). The participant cohort comprises 38 individuals with an average age of 20.63 years, distributed across 13 handball players, 12 soccer players, and 13 basketball players. Statistical analyses, specifically ANOVA accompanied by Tukey’s post hoc comparisons, have been employed to discern significant differences among subgroups. While no noteworthy disparities among groups were observed in both COD-D and Agility-D when participants manipulated the balls using their hands, a marked superiority in performance emerged for soccer players when the balls were manipulated with their legs. Soccer players exhibited expedited responses compared to their basketball and handball counterparts when confronted with a visual stimulus during the Agility-R test (reduced Agility-R deficit). Furthermore, the Agility-D deficit underscored the heightened visual challenge to react in visual stimuli during dribbling in soccer. Independent of the type of ball handling, soccer players consistently demonstrated a diminished Agility-D deficit, affirming their superior visual ability. The performance in Agility-D further revealed that visual ability plays a pivotal role in influencing dribbling ability. The study posits that, for a comprehensive assessment of a player’s visual ability during running or dribbling, interpretations of both Agility-R deficit and Agility-D deficit are imperative. Consequently, the proposed indexes of Agility-R deficit and Agility-D deficit present valuable tools for evaluating players’ COD and Agility abilities during running or dibbling. However, the efficacy of these assessments in real-game situations remains undetermined, requiring further investigation