Success Factors in the FIFA 2018 World Cup in Russia and FIFA 2014 World Cup in Brazil

Research on success factors in football focusing on national teams is sparse. The current study examines the success factors during the World Cup 2018 in Russia and the World Cup 2014 in Brazil. A total of 128 matches were analyzed using a generalized order logit approach. Twenty-nine variables were identified from previous research. The results showed that defensive errors (p = 0.0220), goal efficiency (p = 0.0000), duel success (p = 0.0000), tackles success (p = 0.0100), shots from counterattacks (p = 0.0460), clearances (p = 0.0130), and crosses (p = 0.0160) have a significant influence on winning a match during those tournaments. Ball possession, distance, and market value of the teams had no influence on success. Overall, most of the critical success factors and those with the highest impact on winning close games were defensive actions. Moreover, the results suggest that direct play and pressing were more effective than ball possession play. The study contributes to a better understanding of success factors and can help to improve effectiveness of training, match preparation, and coaching

Coach Competences to Induce Positive Affective Reactions in Sport and Exercise - A Qualitative Study

Positive affective reactions are a crucial aspect in physical activity maintenance. Affective reactions to sport and exercise were found to be important factors of physical activity. Coaches could be an important medium to induce positive affective reactions of participants in sport and exercise. Understanding how coaches trigger positive affective reactions (AR) during physical activity is a crucial aspect for increasing maintenance in sport and exercise. The aim of this study is to identify the competences of the coaches which are associated with perceived positive AR of participants during sport and exercise. To identify these factors, semistructured in-depth interviews were conducted with 18 participants, who take part in sport and exercise (nine female and nine male) of heterogeneous age (mean age 42.6; SD = 19.25; under 30 years, 30 to 60 years, 60 years and above) and who have different athletic backgrounds (individual sports, team sports, and gym classes). Four key coach competence factors were identified and used to design an integrated model. Three general competences: context sensitivity, social–emotional competences, professional competences, and the specific competences in the behaviour-related competences.Peer Reviewe

Exploring the organisational structure of networks for exercise oncology provision: a social network analysis of OnkoAktiv

Background: Structured exercise programs provide considerable health benefits for cancer patients. Therefore, various OnkoAktiv (OA) networks were established in Germany with the aim to connect cancer patients with certified exercise programs. However, knowledge about the integration of exercise networks into cancer care systems and conditions of interorganisational collaboration is lacking. The aim of this work was to analyse the OA networks to guide further network development and implementation work. Methods: We used methods of social network analysis within a cross-sectional study design. Network characteristics were analysed such as node and tie attributes, cohesion and centrality. We classified all networks into their level of organisational form in integrated care. Results: We analysed 11 OA networks with 26 actors and 216 ties on average. The smallest network counted 12 actors/56 ties, the largest 52/530. 76% of all actors operated within the medical/exercise sector, serving 19 different medical professions. In smaller “linkage” networks, several individual professionals were linked “from service to service”, whereas the more integrated networks revealed a core-periphery-structure. Discussion: Collaborative networks enable the involvement of professional actors from different operational fields. This study provides an in-depth understanding of underlying organisational structures that provides information for further development of exercise oncology provision. Trial registration: Not applicable, as no health care intervention was performed

Anticipatory and Anticipated Emotions in Regular and Non-regular Exercisers – A Qualitative Study

Future-oriented emotions could influence our decisions in everyday life and help understand why some individuals are physically active whilst others are not. Current literature distinguishes between two future-oriented emotion constructs: anticipatory and anticipated emotions. While anticipatory emotions are currently experienced emotions about a future event, anticipated emotions refer to the emotions that a person is expected to experience when confronted with a future event. The main aims of the present study were (1) to identify and describe (a) categories of anticipatory emotions experienced before exercise, and (b) categories of anticipated emotions expected to be experienced during and after exercise, and (2) to develop a theoretical model of anticipated emotion categories. Sixteen participants (Mage = 26.03, SD = 6.66) were recruited for semi-structured interviews, and their statements were analyzed using principles of the Grounded Theory. In total, 13 different anticipatory and anticipated emotion categories were identified, such as enjoyment, anxiety, pride, self-anger, and relief. Anticipatory emotions seem to reflect the current affective valence of exercising and may be influenced by daily factors. With regards to anticipated emotions, the results show that regular exercisers anticipated also negative emotions such as anxiety, disappointment, and self-anger, and non-regular exercisers also anticipated positive emotions such as enjoyment, pride, and satisfaction. Therefore, future research should not only focus on the valence of future-oriented emotions, but should investigate the possible impact of specific anticipated emotions on exercise behavior. In addition, a theoretical model of anticipated emotion categories in exercise behavior derived from the interviews. The model outlines different categories of anticipated emotions based on appraisal processes. In conclusion, we assume that this developmental process of anticipated emotions may be embedded in a broader, cyclical process within the context of exercising

Orte des Sporttreibens - Eine Sekundäranalyse empirischer Daten der Sportentwicklung

in PD

Utilizing Incentivized Economic Experiments to Test for Social Skills Acquisition Through Physical Education: Study Protocol of the Movigen Project

Besides cognitive skills, non-cognitive skills—social skills in particular—are crucial for outcomes in various domains of life. The present work describes the design of the Movigen project, an intervention study with children aged 10–13 years using enhanced physical education lessons to foster social skills in a playful way. Utilizing a novel methodological approach various incentivized economic experiments were applied to test for spillover effects of the intervention on social skills. At three points during the course of the study individuals participated in a series of incentivized economic experiments to elicit economic preferences and personality traits. Additional information about physical activity and free time activities, different psychometric scales, and family background were elicited with questionnaires. Furthermore, a subset of individuals was equipped with accelerometers for 7 days to validate the answers on physical activity in the questionnaire. The data set comprises a treatment group which received enhanced physical education lessons and a control group which received regular physical education lessons at school. The comparison of individuals\u27 decision in the economic experiments between both groups allows to study the impact of our intervention on social skills

Social skills and sports: Pupils of an elite school of sports are more competitive and cooperative

It is frequently observed that individuals who actively practice sports also do well in other domains of life, e.g., the labor market. While the underlying mechanisms are not yet fully understood, it is often argued that sports participation is embedded in a setting which fosters qualities which prove advantageous beyond sports. In the present paper, we examine competitive and cooperative behavior in children aged 10–13 years. Rather than on individual levels of sports participation, the focus is on the institutional setting of an elite school of sports (ESS) as compared to regular upper secondary schools. To obtain measures for competitiveness and cooperativeness, we utilize experimental methods which are established in economics. Our results show that ESS students are both more competitive and more cooperative than their counterparts at regular schools

How to be Successful in Football: A Systematic Review

Background: Despite the popularity of football, the analysis of success factors in football remains a challenge. While reviews on performance indicators in football are available, none focuses solely on the identification of success factors and addresses the large and growing body of recent research up until 2016. Objective: To find out what determines success in football and to organize the body of literature, a systematic literature review analyzing existing studies with regard to success factors in football was undertaken. Methods: The studies included in this review had to deal with performance indicators related to success in football. The studies were published in 2016 or before. The initial search revealed 19,161 articles. Finally, sixty-eight articles were included in this review. The studies were clustered with regard to comparative analyses, predictive analyses and analyses of home advantage. Results: In total, 76 different variables were investigated in the reviewed papers. It appeared that the most significant variables are efficiency (number of goals divided by the number of shots), shots on goal, ball possession, pass accuracy/successful passes as well as the quality of opponent and match location. Moreover, new statistical methods were used to reveal interactions among these variables such as discriminant analysis, factor analysis and regression analysis. The studies showed methodological deficits such as clear operational definitions of investigated variables and small sample sizes. Conclusion: The review allows a comprehensive identification of critical success factors in football and sheds light on utilized methodological approaches. Future research should consider precise operational definitions of the investigated variables, adequate sample sizes and the involvement of situational variables as well as their interaction