Self-Concept and Physical Activity: Differences Between High School and University Students in Spain and Portugal.

The period of adolescence stands out as a critical and decisive phase, first because it leaves its mark on personality development, which is affected by psychosocial factors, and second because the healthy lifestyle habits acquired during this stage form a foundation for adulthood. The objective of the present study was first to evaluate the levels of participation in physical activities (PA) and of self-concept in high school and university students, and second to find relationships between these psycho-physical variables. Four hundred and forty adolescents ranging in age from 16 to 20 years, from Spain and Portugal, participated in this study (cross-sectional design). The IPAQ and Self-Concept Form-5 questionnaires were used. The results demonstrated some differences; the Portuguese university students had lower scores in the academic, emotional and physical dimensions and vigorous PA but higher sitting time, walking and moderate PA compared to Portuguese high school students. In addition, Spanish university students had lower self-concept scores although higher practice of PA and lower sitting time than Spanish high school students (p < 0.05). On the other hand, a positive relationship was found between different dimensions of self-concept and levels of PA, while the relationship between these dimensions and the time the adolescent spent sitting was negative. In conclusion, the university students have lower scores of self-concept dimensions (in general), and the practice of PA is higher in Spanish university students, confirming the clear presence of differences between both educational stages. The relationship between the dimensions of self-concept in general and the level of PA was positive (following the contributions of Marsh).

Effects of the Sports Level, Format of the Game and Task Condition on Heart Rate Responses, Technical and Tactical Performance of Youth Basketball Players.

The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of different small-sided and conditioning games (SSCG) with different tactical contents on heart rate responses, technical performance and collective organization of youth basketball players of different performance levels. Twenty male basketball players from U14 (13.7 ± 0.8 years old; 4.2 ± 1.4 years of practice) and U16 (15.3 ± 1.1 years old; 6.4 ± 2.1 years of practice) participated in this research study. The two-way MANOVA revealed that the sports level (p = 0.009; [Formula: see text] = 0.151), format (p = 0.001; [Formula: see text] = 0.246) and task condition (p = 0.023; [Formula: see text] = 0.104; small effect size) had significant main effects on heart rate responses. It was also found that the format (p = 0.001; [Formula: see text] = 0.182) had significant main effects on technical performance. A smaller format significantly increased the heart rate, volume of play, efficiency index and collective density during attacking plays. The SSCG with attacking content statistically increased the heart rate, efficiency index and performance score. Therefore, this study revealed that different SSCGs with tactical content influenced the physiological responses of youth players.

Weekly physical activity patterns of university students: Are athletes more active than non-athletes?

The aim of the present study was to compare weekly physical activity (PA) and obesity-related markers in athlete and non-athlete university students. One hundred and twenty-six university students (53 males, 20.46 ± 2.04 years old, and 73 females, 19.69 ± 1.32 years old) participated in this study. Participants were fitted with a tri-axial accelerometer (ActiGraph wGT3X-BT, Shalimar, FL, USA) to assess the daily PA. Anthropometric measures of height, weight, BMI and %fat mass were determined with a stadiometer and an electronic scale. The comparison indicated that male and female athletes had a significant lower percentage of body fat than did non-athletes (p value = 0.001; ES = 0.043). Athletes spent significantly more time in light PA than did non-athletes (p value = 0.003; ES = 0.024). Female athletes spent significantly less time in sedentary mode than did non-athletes (p value = 0.040; ES = 0.008). On the other hand, female athletes spent significantly more time in light PA (p value = 0.003; ES = 0.017) and vigorous PA (p value = 0.001; ES = 0.086) than did non-athletes. Despite some statistical differences with minimal effect size, the results of this study suggested proximity between PA levels of athletes and non-athletes, mainly in the case of sedentary behaviour. No significant effects were found in the variances of PA tested in this study.

Physical and technical performances are not associated with tactical prominence in U14 soccer matches.

The aim of this study was to analyse the association between physical/technical variables and the tactical prominence variables in U14 soccer matches. Twenty-two young amateur soccer players (13.5 [Formula: see text] 0.5 years old, 5.4 [Formula: see text] 0.5 years of practice, 163.3 [Formula: see text] 9.8 cm in body height) from two teams of the Portuguese regional league volunteered for the study. Our results showed positive and moderate correlation between dribbling test and betweenness centrality (r = 0.324; p = 0.142), and negative moderate correlation between %fatigue index and betweenness centrality (r = -0.390; p = 0.073). Physical and technical variables had no statistical differences among tactical positions. Nevertheless, when tactical prominence of players from four tactical positions were compared, significant differences were found in terms of degree prestige (p = 0.001) and degree centrality (p = 0.002). This pilot study did not find strong correlations between physical/technical levels and tactical prominence in soccer matches.

Physical Activity Patterns in University Students: Do They Follow the Public Health Guidelines?

Physical activity is associated with health. The aim of this study was (a) to access if Portuguese university students meet the public health recommendations for physical activity and (b) the effect of gender and day of the week on daily PA levels of university students. This observational cross-sectional study involved 126 (73 women) healthy Portuguese university students aged 18-23 years old. Participants wore the ActiGraph wGT3X-BT accelerometer for seven consecutive days. Number of steps, time spent sedentary and in light, moderate and vigorous physical activity were recorded. The two-way MANOVA revealed that gender (p-value = 0.001; η2 = 0.038; minimum effect) and day of the week (p-value = 0.001; η2 = 0.174; minimum effect) had significant main effects on the physical activity variables. It was shown that during weekdays, male students walked more steps (65.14%), spent less time sedentary (6.77%) and in light activities (3.11%) and spent more time in moderate (136.67%) and vigorous activity (171.29%) in comparison with weekend days (p < 0.05). The descriptive analysis revealed that female students walked more steps (51.18%) and spent more time in moderate (125.70%) and vigorous (124.16%) activities during weekdays than in weekend days (p < 0.05). Women students did not achieve the recommended 10,000 steps/day on average during weekdays and weekend days. Only male students achieved this recommendation during weekdays. In summary, this study showed a high incidence of sedentary time in university students, mainly on weekend days. New strategies must be adopted to promote physical activity in this population, focusing on the change of sedentary behaviour.

Analysis of Physiological, Technical, and Tactical Analysis during a Friendly Football Match of Elite U19.

The main objective was to analyze a friendly match of youth elite soccer players identifying the variance of tactical and physiological response parameters during the game. In addition, detecting the impact of both halves on player performance. For the purposes of this study twenty-two U19 players were analyzed playing 11v11. Activity profile, heart rate (HR and HRmax), grouped in five different zones were analyzed via Bluetooth technology, technical performance was analyzed by the Team Sport Assessment Procedure (TSAP), and tactical performance was measured by Social Network Analysis. A comparison of heart rate responses showed significant main effects in the halves (p = 0.001; η p 2 = 0.623). A comparison between tactical position and technical performance had significant main effects (p = 0.001; η p 2 = 0.390). Tactical position showed statistically significant effects on tactical prominence (p = 0.002; η p 2 = 0.296). Therefore, fatigue is a component distinguished in technical/tactical parameters, such as volume of play and efficiency index. Results suggest that fatigue effects may constrain technical performance and, for that reason, the use of instruments to monitor the fatigue effect during matches may be suggested.

Using network metrics in soccer: a macro-analysis.

The aim of this study was to propose a set of network methods to measure the specific properties of a team. These metrics were organised at macro-analysis levels. The interactions between teammates were collected and then processed following the analysis levels herein announced. Overall, 577 offensive plays were analysed from five matches. The network density showed an ambiguous relationship among the team, mainly during the 2nd half. The mean values of density for all matches were 0.48 in the 1st half, 0.32 in the 2nd half and 0.34 for the whole match. The heterogeneity coefficient for the overall matches rounded to 0.47 and it was also observed that this increased in all matches in the 2nd half. The centralisation values showed that there was no 'star topology'. The results suggest that each node (i.e., each player) had nearly the same connectivity, mainly in the 1st half. Nevertheless, the values increased in the 2nd half, showing a decreasing participation of all players at the same level. Briefly, these metrics showed that it is possible to identify how players connect with each other and the kind and strength of the connections between them. In summary, it may be concluded that network metrics can be a powerful tool to help coaches understand team's specific properties and support decision-making to improve the sports training process based on match analysis.

Inspecting the performance of neutral players in different small-sided games

The aim of this study was to inspect the effects of format and task conditions on neutral players' heart rate responses and time-motion characteristics. Four formats of play using neutral players and three task conditions were inspected. Moreover, the factor repetition (3 games per each SSG) was also analysed. Ten male amateur soccer players (26.36 ± 5.33 years old, 8 ± 3.2 years of practice, 66.18 ± 10.16 bpm at rest) participated in this study. The repeated measured revealed that no differences were found between repetitions (Pillai's Trace = .075; F 8, 100 = 1.007; p-value = .436; = .075; Power = .445; small effect size). In the game 1 significant interaction effects between the two factors on heart rate responses and time-motion profiles were observed (Pillai's Trace = 0.699; F 24,428 = 3.774; p-value = .001; = .175; Power = 1.000; moderate effect size). In the game 2 , significant interaction effects between the two factors on heart rate responses and time-motion profiles were observed (Pillai's Trace = .712; F 24,428 = 3.860; p-value = .001; = .178; Power = 1.000; moderate effect size). Finally, in the game 3 significant interaction effects between the two factors on heart rate responses and time-motion profiles were observed (Pillai's Trace = .729; F 24,428 = 3.972; p-value = .001; = .182; Power = 1.000; moderate effect size). Briefly, it was possible to conclude that the biggest formats statistically increased the heart rate responses and time-motion characteristics of neutral players. It was also possible to observe that the mean values of heart rate responses found in neutral players throughout small-sided games were appropriated to very light or recovery workouts.

O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar os efeitos do formato e condições da tarefa nas respostas cardíacas e perfis de movimento de jogadores neutros. Adotaram-se quatro formatos de jogo e três condições da tarefa utilizando jogadores neutros. Participaram no estudo dez jogadores de futebol amador (26,36 ± 5,33 anos de idade, 8 ± 3,2 anos de prática, 66,18 ± 10,16 bpm em descanso). O teste de medidas repetidas não mostraram diferenças estatisticamente significativas entre repetições (Pillai's Trace = 0,075; F 8, 100 = 1,007; p-value = 0,436; = 0,075; Power = 0,445). No jogo 1 identificaram-se diferenças estatisticamente significativas na interação entre factores nas variáveis de frequência cardíaca e velocidade (Pillai's Trace = 0,699; F 24,428 = 3,774; p-value = 0,001; = 0,175; Power = 1,000). No jogo 2 identificaram-se diferenças estatisticamente significativas na interação entre factores nas variáveis de frequência cardíaca e velocidade (Pillai's Trace = 0,712; F 24,428 = 3,860; p-value = 0,001; = 0,178; Power = 1,000). Finalmente, no jogo 3 identificaram-se diferenças estatisticamente significativas na interação entre factores nas variáveis de frequência cardíaca e velocidade (Pillai's Trace = 0,729; F 24,428 = 3,972; p-value = 0,001; = 0,182; Power = 1,000). Concluiu-se com este estudo que os formatos maiores aumentam estatisticamente a resposta cardíaca e o perfil de movimento de jogadores neutros. Foi igualmente possível observar que os valores médios de frequência cardíaca encontrados em jogadores neutros são apropriados para trabalhos de baixa intensidade ou de recuperação ativa.

El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar los efectos de formato y de tareas en condiciones respuestas cardíacas y el movimiento de perfiles de los jugadores neutrales. Se utilizaron cuatro formatos de juego y tres condiciones tarea utilizando jugadores neutrales. Participó en el estudio, diez jugadores de fútbol (26,36 ± 5,33 años de edad, 8 ± 3,2 años de práctica, 66,18 ± 10,16 lpm en reposo). La prueba de medidas repetidas mostró diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre repeticiones (Pillai's Trace = 0,075; F 8, 100 = 1,007; p-value = 0,436; = 0,075; Power = 0,445). En lo juego 1 hubo diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre los factores (Pillai's Trace = 0,699; F 24,428 = 3,774; p-value = 0,001; = 0,175; Power = 1,000). En lo juego 2 hubo diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre los factores (Pillai's Trace = 0,712; F 24,428 = 3,860; p-value = 0,001; = 0,178; Power = 1,000). En lo juego 3 hubo diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre los factores (Pillai's Trace = 0,729; F 24,428 = 3,972; p-value = 0,001; = 0,182; Power = 1,000). Se concluye de este estudio que los formatos más grandes estadísticamente aumentan respuesta cardiaca y el perfil de movimiento de jugadores neutrales. También se observó que los valores promedio de la frecuencia cardíaca que se encuentran en los jugadores papeles neutros son adecuados para baja intensidad o de recuperación activa.

Acute effects of the number of players and scoring method on physiological, physical, and technical performance in small-sided soccer games.

This study aims to examine the effect of differences in the number of players and scoring method on heart rate responses, time-motion characteristics, and technical/tactical performance during small-sided soccer games. Ten male amateur soccer players (26.4 ± 5.3 years old, 8.4 ± 3.2 years of practice, 179.3 ± 5.2 cm body height, 71.2 ± 7.1 kg body weight, 45.8 ± 2.6 ml.kg(-1)min(-1)VO2max) from the Portuguese regional league played nine different small-sided games (i.e., 3 formats × 3 scoring methods). The study used two-way MANOVA, two-away ANOVA, and one-way ANOVA, depending on the specific procedure for the analysis. Compared with other formats, 2v2 induced significantly greater values of technical/tactical indexes (p = 0.001), 3v3 induced significantly higher %HRreserve values (p = 0.001), and 4v4 led to significantly greater distance coverage and speed (p = 0.001). The study provided evidence for coaches to set different small-sided game conditions depending on the training purpose in terms of physiological, physical, and technical performance.

Using network metrics to investigate football team players' connections: a pilot study / Avaliando as conexões entre jogadores de futebol utilizando métricas de network: um estudo piloto / La evaluación de las conexiones entre los jugadores de fútbol utilizando métricas de red: un estudio piloto

The aim of this pilot study was propose a set of network methods to measure the specific properties of football teams. These metrics were organized on "meso" and "micro" analysis levels. Five official matches of the same team on the First Portuguese Football League were analyzed. An overall of 577 offensive plays were analyzed from the five matches. From the adjacency matrices developed per each offensive play it were computed the scaled connectivity, the clustering coefficient and the centroid significance and centroid conformity. Results showed that the highest values of scaled connectivity were found in lateral defenders and central and midfielder players and the lowest values were found in the striker and goalkeeper. The highest values of clustering coefficient were generally found in midfielders and forwards. In addition, the centroid results showed that lateral and central defenders tend to be the centroid players in the attacking process. In sum, this study showed that network metrics can be a powerful tool to help coaches to understanding the specific team's properties, thus supporting decision-making and improving sports training based on match analysis...

"Avaliando as conexões entre jogadores de futebol utilizando métricas de network: Um estudo piloto." O presente estudo piloto teve como objetivo do piloto propor um conjunto de métodos de network para avaliar as propriedades de equipes de futebol. Essas métricas foram organizadas em função dos níveis de análise "meso" e "micro." Foram analisados cinco jogos oficiais da mesma equipa participante na Primeira Liga Profissional de Futebol Português. Um conjunto de 577 jogadas atacantes foram analisadas ao longo desses cinco jogos. As interações entre companheiros de equipa foram recolhidas e processadas seguindo os níveis de análise anteriormente referidos. Os resultados evidenciaram que os maiores valores de escala de conetividade foram encontrados nos defensores laterais e zagueiros, bem como, nos meio-campistas e os menores valores encontraram-se no atacante e goleiro. Os maiores valores de coeficiente de agrupamento foram geralmente encontrados nos meio-campistas e atacantes. No caso dos resultados relativos ao centroid verificou-se que os defensores laterais e zagueiros tendem a ser os jogadores centroids no processo atacante. Em resumo, este estudo destacou que as métricas de network podem ser um instrumento poderoso para auxiliar os treinadores a compreenderem as propriedades específicas das equipes, suportando a tomada de decisão e melhorando o treinamento tendo como base a análise de jogo...

"La evaluación de las conexiones entre los jugadores de fútbol utilizando métricas de red: un estudio piloto." El objetivo de este estudio piloto fue el de proponer un conjunto de métodos para evaluar las propiedades de la red los equipos de fútbol. Estas métricas se organizaron de acuerdo con el nivel de análisis "meso" y "micro." Se analizaron cinco partidos oficiales en el mismo equipo que participan en la Liga Premier de Fútbol Profesional de Portugal. Se analizó una serie de 577 atacantes mueve en estos cinco partidos. Las interacciones entre los compañeros de equipo fueron recolectados y procesados ​​siguiendo los niveles de análisis mencionados. Los resultados mostraron que los valores más altos de conectividad de la escala se encuentran en los defensores laterales y centrales, así como los mediocampistas centrales y los valores más bajos se encontraron en-punta delantera y el portero. Los valores más altos del coeficiente de agrupamiento se encuentran generalmente en el medio y los atacantes. En los resultados para el jugador centroid, se encontró que los defensores laterales y centrales tienden a ser actores centrales en el proceso de ataque. En resumen, este estudio pone de relieve que las métricas de la red puede ser una herramienta poderosa para ayudar a los entrenadores a comprender las propiedades específicas de los equipos, el apoyo a la toma de decisiones y la mejora de lo entrenamiento basada en el análisis del juego...

Novas abordagens da avaliação do comportamento tático no futebol: análise do centroid e índice de dispersão / Towards a new evaluation of the football' tactical behaviour: analysis of the centroid and stretch index

A tendência evolutiva do futebol determina as necessidades de produzir ferramentas inovadoras que aumentem substancialmente a eficiência da análise de jogo. Considerando os métodos tradicionais notacionais como limitados para a interpretação dos processos de jogo, a investigação carece de novos métodos nos quais prevaleça a análise do processo. Dessa forma, o presente trabalho propõe-se a analisar novas métricas quantitativas e automáticas de avaliação tática no futebol, nomeadamente o centroid de equipe e o índice de dispersão.

The evolutionary tendency of the football game determines the conception of the new tools that increase the efficiency of the match analysis. The traditional notational analysis, actually, are limited to understand the true dynamic of the football match, thus the investigation lacks by new methods to understand the process and not just the product. Therefore, this work aims analyze new automatically tactical metrics, specifically the centroid and the stretch index method.

Activity profiles of soccer players during the 2010 world cup.

The main objective of this study was to analyse the distance covered and the activity profile that players presented at the FIFA World Cup in 2010. Complementarily, the distance covered by each team within the same competition was analysed. For the purposes of this study 443 players were analysed, of which 35 were goalkeepers, 84 were external defenders, 77 were central defenders, 182 were midfielders, and 65 were forwards. Afterwards, a thorough analysis was performed on 16 teams that reached the group stage, 8 teams that achieved the round of 16, 4 teams that reached the quarter-finals, and 4 teams that qualified for the semi-finals and finals. A comparison of the mean distance covered per minute among the playing positions showed statistically significant differences (F(4,438) = 559.283; p < 0.001; 2 = 0.836; Power = 1.00). A comparison of the activity time among tactical positions also resulted in statistically significant differences, specifically, low activity (F(4,183.371) = 1476.844; p < 0.001; 2 = 0.742; Power = 1.00), medium activity (F(4,183.370) = 1408.106; p < 0.001; 2 = 0.731; Power = 1.00), and high activity (F(4,182.861) = 1152.508; p < 0.001; 2 = 0.703; Power = 1.00). Comparing the mean distance covered by teams, differences that are not statistically significant were observed (F(3,9.651) = 4.337; p < 0.035; 2 = 0.206; Power = 0.541). In conclusion, the tactical positions of the players and their specific tasks influence the activity profile and physical demands during a match.

Interpersonal dynamics: 1v1 sub-phase at sub-18 football players.

The performance of football players within game context can be analyzed based on their ability to break or (re)balance the attacker-defender dyad. In this context, the analysis of each sub-phase (e.g., 1v1, 2v2) presents a feature that needs to be taken into account in sports analysis. This study aims to investigate the interpersonal dynamics dyad formed by the attacker and the defender in 1v1 situations with a goalkeeper. A sample of 11 football male players (age: 17.91 ± 1.04 years) with 8.6 ± 1.52 years of practice experience participated in the study. Analyzing the 1v1 sub-phase, results show that the distance, speed and angular amplitude between the attacker and the defender increases, especially when the attacker attempts to overtake the defender (i.e., score a goal). We conclude that decision-making emerges from the perception that players draw from the action, actively and consistently interacting to find solutions to emerging problems within the game context.

Posicionamento angular do atacante em relação ao defensor em futebolistas / Angular positioning of attacker over the defender in football players / Posicionamiento angular del atacante en relación al defensor en los futbolistas

O presente estudo objetivou analisar as amplitudes angulares do atacante em relação ao defensor ao longo da série temporal de prática, tentando verificar se tal parâmetro contribui para a quebra da estabilidade da díade atacante-defensor. Participaram 11 futebolistas (17,91 ± 1,04 anos de idade) com 8,6 ± 1,52 de anos de prática. De forma a entender a relação da posição entre o atacante e o defensor, procedeu-se ao cálculo do posicionamento angular entre ambos. Para o efeito, considerou-se o ângulo 0º como sendo o ângulo entre o atacante e o defensor quando estes formam uma linha perpendicular à aresta do campo onde se encontra a baliza estando o defensor mais próximo da mesma. Os resultados indicam uma oscilação regular por parte do atacante no sentido de procurar desequilibrar o oponente sendo que, através dessa ação-reação o atacante procura encontrar novas soluções que resultem da exploração do meio e do adversário.

The aim of this study was to analyze the angular amplitudes of the attacker over the defender along the series of practice, trying to see if this parameter contributes to the breakdown of the stability of the attacker-defender dyad. In the study participated 11 players (17.91 ± 1.04 years old) with 8.6 ± 1.52 years of practice. In order to understand the position relationship between the attacker and defender, we calculate the angular positioning between them. For this purpose we considered the 0º angle as the angle between the striker and the defender when they form a perpendicular line to the edge of the field where staying the goal. The results show a regular oscillation by the attacker to seek to unbalance the opponent and that through this action-reaction the attacker tries to find new solutions resulting from the exploitation of the environment and the opponent.

El presente estudio tuvo como objetivo analizar las amplitudes angulares del atacante contra el defensor, tratando de ver si este parámetro contribuye a la ruptura de la estabilidad de la pareja atacante-defensor. Participaron 11 jugadores (17,91 ± 1,04 años), con 8,6 ± 1,52 años de práctica. Con el fin de entender la relación de posición entre el atacante y el defensor, procedió al cálculo de la posición angular entre los dos. Con este fin, hemos considerado el ángulo de 0º como el ángulo entre el delantero y el defensor cuando forman una línea perpendicular a la arista del campo donde se encuentra la portería, estando el defensor está más cerca de la misma. Los resultados muestran una oscilación regular del atacante para tratar de desequilibrar al oponente siendo que a través de esta acción-reacción, el atacante trata de encontrar nuevas soluciones que resultan de la exploración del ambiente y del adversario.