05 Aug FSI Football Science Update
1. Association between Clinical Vision Measures and Visual Perception and Soccer Referees’ On-field Performance
Baptista AMG, Serra PM, Faisal M, Barrett BT
Faculty of Health Studies, University of Bradford, United Kingdom
Optom Vis Sci. 2021 Jul 1;98(7):789-801. doi: 10.1097/OPX.0000000000001722
This study assessed clinically the vision of 59 Referees and Assistant Referees who officiated at the highest level in Portugal across the 2014 to 2017 seasons. The R and AR groups did not differ in vision or visual perception measures, but it was found that better stereoacuity and visual memory are associated with a higher rank order of eligibility in the classification made by the Portuguese Soccer Federation. Together, these two measures explained 22% of the variance in rank-order performance.
2. Whole-body energy transfer strategies during football instep kicking: implications for training practices
Augustus S, Hudson PE, Harvey N, Smith N
Chichester Institute of Sport, University of Chichester, UK
Sports Biomech. 2021 Jul 27:1-16. doi: 10.1080/14763141.2021.1951827
This study investigated energy transfer strategies of 15 semi-professional players performing instep kicks for speed and accuracy with 3-D kinematics and GRF data that were incorporated into segment power analyses. Energy transferred from the support leg and torso into the pelvis during tension arc formation and leg cocking was redistributed to the kicking leg during the downswing and was associated with faster foot velocities at ball contact. This highlights whole-body function during instep kicking and suggests that resistance exercises that replicate these interactions may help develop more powerful kicks.
3. Effects of Age on Match-related Acceleration and Deceleration Efforts in Elite Soccer Players
Lorenzo-Martínez M, Corredoira FJ, Lago-Peñas C, Campo RL, Nevado-Garrosa F, Rey E
Faculty of Education and Sport Sciences, University of Vigo, Pontevedra, Spain
Int J Sports Med. 2021 Jul 26. doi: 10.1055/a-1337-2961
To examine the effects of chronological age on acceleration and deceleration match performance in professional soccer players, a total of 5317 individual match observations were collected on 420 professional players competing in the Spanish LaLiga during the 2018-2019 season, using a multiple-camera computerized tracking system. Whilst no age effect was found for maximum acceleration and deceleration capacities, players aged between 31-38 years performed a significantly less total number of accelerations and decelerations during the match in comparison with younger players.
4. The origins of goals in the German Bundesliga
Anzer G, Bauer P, Brefeld U
Sportec Solutions AG, Subsidiary of the Deutsche Fußball Liga (DFL), Munich, Germany
J Sports Sci. 2021 Jul 25:1-20. doi: 10.1080/02640414.2021.1943981
This study analyzes the scoring patterns of 3,457 goals from two seasons German Bundesliga and 2nd Bundesliga (2018/19 and 2019/20), describing 8 clusters (penalties, direct free kicks, kick and rush, one-two’s, assisted by header, assisted by throw-in) and nine categories (e.g., corners), and discussing its relevance for practical applications in opponent analysis, player scouting, and long-term investigations.