Measuring Soccer Technique with Easy-to-Administer Field Tasks in Female Soccer Players from Four Different Competitive Levels. Issue 3 (December 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Pedersen, Arve Vorland; Lorås, Håvard; Norvang, Ole Petter; Asplund, Jennifer
• Is Part Of: Perceptual and motor skills. Volume 119:Issue 3(2014)
• Page Start: 961
• Page End: 970
• Publication Date: 2014-12
• Subjects: Perception -- Periodicals; Motor ability -- Periodicals; Motor Skills; Perception; Psychology; Electronic journals; Periodicals; 152
• DOI: 10.2466/03.30.PMS.119c31z2
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0031-5125

Abstract

Soccer is a multidimensional sport that requires skills in many different domains. Reports from competitions at the highest levels around the world suggest that a particularly decisive performance factor is a team's technical execution. Testing of technical skills in soccer has been infrequent compared with testing of physiological variables, and there has been a lack of consensus as to which tasks should be included in test batteries. In this study, the validity of four field tasks (heading, long pass, juggling, and hit-the-post) was examined by testing 108 female soccer players from four different competitive levels, representing a hierarchy of skill levels. Correlation analysis indicated that the tasks' results appeared statistically unrelated (Spearman's ρ ≤ .36). Statistical comparisons across competitive levels showed that task performance was closely correlated with players' competition level, with regression analysis indicating that 92% of the variance in mean rankings across tasks could be explained by competitive level. As the easily administered and low-cost tasks identified differences in technical skills across competitive levels, such tasks appear valid for inclusion in tests of technical skills.